- Samsung and Xiaomi have removed the ADGUARD VPN app from their official app stores in Russia at the government’s request
- Apple already killed Adguard VPN in 2024 with At least 60 VPN -Apps
- Over 100 VPNs are currently not available in the Apple App Store, with 50 also inaccessible in Google Play Store
Update: Adguard confirmed to Techradar that Xiaomi also removed his VPN app from his Russian app store in Roskomnadzor’s request on May 16, 2025 after publication. We edit the article to reflect this.
Another VPN service has disappeared from official app stores in Russia.
This time, Samsung has removed the Adguard VPN app from its Galaxy App Store in the country in Roskomnadzor’s demand.
One day after May 16, 2025, the tech giant Xiaomi also did the same and killed the provider’s VPN application from his Russian app store after receiving a removal order from the country’s censorship body.
This comes as part of the Kremlin’s actions against VPNs that have seen over 100 apps disappear from the Russian Apple App Store, including some of the best VPN services on the market.
Despite Google, which apparently opposes most of these requirements so far, recent data shows that at least 53 VPNs are also currently not available in the Google Play store in Russia. However, Adguard VPN has not been affected yet.
“A regrettable development”
“Our app has actually been removed from the Samsung store in Russia – a regrettable development in our view,” Adguard CPO, Denis Vyazovoy, told Techradar.
The VPN service has received a synthetic e email from Samsung (see image below) to inform that its “application information has been changed.”
The change? “Russia was excluded from the sales lists according to the Russian government’s request. This app is prohibited by the Russian government,” the e -mail reads.
Xiaomi has sent a similar communication to the provider (see picture below) and noted that “Distribution of VPN applications in Russia is not allowed. Therefore, we need to remove your application from Russia.”
Adguard VPN was already among the virtual private networks (VPN) services affected by Big Purge from Russia’s Apple App Store last year. Inaccessible apps also include some of Techradar’s favorites, such as NordVPN, ExpressVPN and Proton VPN, but also the popular Russian service Amnezia VPN.
However, the provider confirmed to Techradar that its app is still available in Russia’s Google Play store at the time of writing.
It is also worth noting that these removals only affect Russia-based users. The ADGUARD VPN app is still available across all official app stores outside Russia.
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“We see this as part of a broader tendency to limit access to tools that help people protect their privacy and maintain access to an open internet,” Vyazovoy told Techradar.
Kremlin’s actions against VPNs have been intensified since a law enforced in March 2024, criminalized the spread of information on ways of bypassing Internet restrictions. This is probably the legal basis on which the Russian censorship organizes these requirements for large tech companies.
Nevertheless, experts have long called for these companies to maintain the human rights of Russian citizens by refraining from working with these requirements and restoring censored VPN apps.
Vyazovoy confirmed to Techradar that the service continues to operate through other channels and the provider is actively looking for ways to remain available to all users.
If you are using a Galaxy or Xiaomi smartphone, I recommend downloading the ADGUARD VPN app from the Google Play Store, where the service is still available at the time of writing.
The provider also suggests downloading it directly from their official website to be sure to get the latest and safest version.
