U.S. technology giant Apple has notified RFE/RL that it has removed several of its apps following a request from Russia's media regulator, Roskomnadzor.
The RFE/RL apps removed were those of the Russian Service and its regional projects Siberia.Realities and North.Realities, as well as the apps for its Kyrgyz Service and Current Time, the Russian-language TV and digital network run by RFE/RL.
Roskomnadzor notified Apple that the apps contain materials from an organization whose activities in Russia have been declared "undesirable."
The Russian Service's app is still available in Apple's App Store in other countries.
RFE/RL was placed on Russia's list of "undesirable organizations" in February. RFE/RL President Stephen Capus called the decision "yet another example of how the Russian government sees truthful reporting as an existential threat."
Besides RFE/RL's apps, Apple also removed or hid several Russian-language podcasts produced by independent journalists.
The news outlet Mediazona reported on November 14 that new episodes from the online radio station Ekho Moskvy and investigative outlet The Insider were no longer accessible inside Russia. A BBC Russian Service podcast also appeared to be affected.
Older episodes dating back more than a week were available, Mediazona reported, and users outside of Russia could still access all episodes.
In recent years, Russian authorities have accelerated efforts to more strictly regulate and control content on the Russian-language Internet, known informally as the RuNet. Sites like X or Facebook have been throttled or slowed down in the past in what experts say appears to be tests by regulators to filter content or redirect Russian users.
The Google-owned video streaming platform YouTube, which has been largely untouched by regulators, saw a major slowdown beginning in the summer.
Some officials blamed outdated equipment inside Russia, equipment Google has been unable to maintain due to Western sanctions. But others said the "degradation" was intentional, aimed at slowing the platform down and frustrating viewers in a bid to nudge them toward homegrown Russian alternatives that are more tightly controlled.
On November 14, Internet monitors reported that YouTube inside Russia appeared to have returned to normal speeds and was fully accessible throughout the country.
On November 15, the Kremlin said that President Vladimir Putin "is looking into" slow speeds and disruptions on YouTube after a top cinema official raised the matter.
Karen Shakhnazarov, a prominent filmmaker who heads Russia's most famous film studio, told a talk show on state-run TV on November 14 that he had raised the issue of YouTube speeds with Putin during a meeting a day earlier.
Other efforts by regulators to control the RuNet include installing sophisticated monitoring hardware, squeezing major Internet companies until they're sold to pliant owners, and ordering global tech giants to ensure their servers are accessible to regulators.