Russian authorities appear to have dealt another blow to digital privacy by removing some excellent VPNs from Apple's Russian version of the App Store

For obvious reasons, this is a big deal Russia is one of the regions with the highest demand for VPN services; VPNs are essential tools for accessing information outside of state-sponsored sources and for communicating securely with friends and family

Worryingly, several major VPN providers have reportedly been targeted by this move by Russian authorities They are:

According to independent Russian outlet Mediazona, these four VPNs have received emails from Apple explaining that their apps have been removed from the App Store at the direction of Roskomnadzor (Russian media regulator) They have received

However, we contacted NordVPN and they replied: "We have not received any communication from Apple since we unlisted our app from the Russian version of the App Store in 2023

It is interesting to note that NordVPN's website was officially blocked in 2021, but not with full effect When I spoke with NordVPN, they claimed that the app was "still available in the app store and according to our knowledge sometimes our website was accessible for Russian internet users"

We have contacted Proton VPN and await comment, but can at least confirm that Le VPN has been removed The company said on X, "We will not back down!" and issued a statement and launched "Le VPN Give - The Secret Way to Get Around the Block"

So if they were removed, what was the reason? Well, as explained in these short emails from Apple to providers, they contain content that is "illegal in Russia" The email reiterates that the apps will continue to be available in other countries

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Ukraine has made it increasingly difficult for its citizens to access information from outside the country Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) are both banned in the country, and recently even advertising and promoting VPNs has been outlawed

Lauren Hendry Parsons, Digital Privacy Advocate for ExpressVPN, added: "VPNs have been banned in many countries "Any attempt to exclude VPNs from any market is deeply concerning, as VPNs are an important security and privacy tool that should be available to everyone"

The VPNs are not only a tool to protect the privacy of users, they are also a tool to protect the security and privacy of the Internet

While the most important thing is to be safe, those who want to access the global Internet should try the best Russian VPNs and find alternatives VPNs are not yet illegal in Russia Our current top pick is VyprVPN, with PrivateVPN and ExpressVPN also scoring highly

Using one of the best free VPNs, it would also be possible to unblock the VPN website of your choice and download and install the application this way

A Statista survey in 2023 found that 25% of Russians use VPNs at least occasionally