- Apple has reportedly removed proxy tools and VPN clients from Russia’s App Store
- Streisand, V2Box, v2RayTun, Happ Proxy Utility are reportedly unavailable
- The removals come just days after the Telegram shutdown began
Apple has reportedly pulled several VPN clients from its Russian App Store, marking another escalation in the country’s efforts to control internet access.
According to reports from Russian tech outlet Kod Durova, the removals include proxy and VPN service applications Streisand, V2Box, v2RayTun and Happ Proxy Utility.
Data from AppleCensorship, a platform that tracks App Store availability globally, confirms that these applications have been delisted in both Russia and China.
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Unlike mainstream services like NordVPN or Surfshark, these apps allow users to connect to their own private servers or manual proxy configurations.
The move follows a growing crackdown on VPNs in the country and coincides with the blocking of Telegram, which remains ongoing.
Targeting custom proxies
This is not the first time Apple has reportedly removed VPN services from its Russian App Store.
In 2024 alone, the tech giant removed at least 60 VPN apps, affecting several well-known providers including NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN.
These censorship efforts escalated significantly after the introduction of a 2024 law criminalizing the dissemination of information on how to circumvent internet restrictions.
The developer behind v2RayTun — one of the apps affected by this latest round of removals — shared a screenshot of an email received from Apple on Telegram.
Although these applications are no longer available for download from the Russian App Store, users who have already installed the tools will be able to continue using them as usual.
However, because they are delisted, these apps will no longer receive important software updates, including security fixes, bug fixes, and new features via the App Store.
When asked about the removal of WhatsApp and Threads from China’s App Store in 2024, the company told The Guardian that it was “committed to following the laws of the country where we operate, even when we disagree.”
TechRadar has reached out to Apple and the affected developers for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
However, Kod Durova reports that the same applications are still available for download via Google Play for Android users in the country.
The Telegram connection
The news of these App Store removals comes at a time when access to a reliable VPN has never been more important in Russia.
For the past two weeks, residents have been facing severe connectivity issues with Telegram, the country’s most popular messaging app.
Days before these disruptions began, government official Andrey Svintsov claimed that Roskomnadzor had developed the technical capability to selectively restrict VPN traffic and warned that bypass tools would not help users bypass the Telegram block.
Speaking to TechRadar, Amnezia VPN founder Mazay Banzaev confirmed that while Russia’s core blocking mechanisms have not fundamentally changed, they have become more precise and effective.
“Improved detection of VPN traffic, hosting infrastructure and related services now has a direct impact on Telegram’s accessibility,” Banzaev explained, though he confirmed that Amnezia Free and Premium can still bypass Telegram restrictions.
However, it is clear that the country’s approach to blocking websites is changing.
“In the past, censors focused on identifying weak points – specific servers, proxies or CDNs. Now blocking is applied more broadly and aggressively, with less concern for collateral damage or unintended disruption,” Banzaev told TechRadar.
This latest wave of App Store removals signals a new phase in Russian internet censorship. By pivoting from mainstream, ready-made VPN providers to the tools that allow tech-savvy users to run custom proxy configurations, Roskomnadzor is systematically closing the remaining loopholes.
At this rate, iPhone users in Russia may soon be left with very few options to access the free web.
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