Apple removes US state media from Russian App Store
Apple has informed the US state-run Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) that its Current Time TV media project will be removed from the App Store in Russia, the network announced on Saturday.
The app was taken down because it featured “content that is illegal in Russia” and did not comply with verification rules, Current Time said on its website, citing a letter from the US tech giant. According to the network, Apple also warned that the app had content produced by an organization that was blacklisted in Russia.
The network added that the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor (RKN) had requested the removal of its products. The regulator itself has not commented on the matter.
RFE/RL, which is based in Prague, was created by the US government to spread anti-Soviet and pro-American propaganda during the Cold War and was initially funded by the CIA. It continues to be state-funded and features content that is highly critical of the Russian government.
RFE/RL and another US state-run news organization, Voice of America, jointly launched Current Time in 2017 as a separate Russian-language project.
In March 2022, Russia blocked access to RFE/RL, citing “the publication of materials that contain false information” about the Ukraine conflict. Moscow further blacklisted the network and all of its subsidiaries, including Current Time, in February 2024.
The EU has similarly banned multiple Russian media organizations since 2022, including RT and Sputnik, accusing the outlets of spreading “disinformation.” In September 2024, the US imposed sanctions on Sputnik's parent company, Rossiya Segodnya, and five of its subsidiaries.
