Apple removes custom VPN clients from Russian App Store amid Telegram crackdown

• Apple has allegedly removed proxy tools and VPN clients from Russia's App Store
• Streisand, V2Box, v2RayTun, Happ Proxy Utility are reportedly unavailable
• The removals come days after the Telegram shutdown began

Apple has reportedly pulled several VPN clients from its Russian App Store, marking yet 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 these applications have been delisted in both Russia and China.

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 delisted at least 60 VPN apps, affecting several well-known providers, including NordVPN, ExpressVPN, and Proton VPN.

These censorship efforts escalated significantly following the introduction of a 2024 law that criminalizes the spread of information on how to bypass internet restrictions.

The developer behind v2RayTun — one of the apps impacted by this latest round of removals — shared a screenshot of an email received from Apple on Telegram.

While these applications are no longer available to 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 crucial software updates, including security patches, 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 it was "obligated to follow the laws in the country where we operate, even when we disagree."

TechRadar has reached out to Apple and the impacted developers for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.

Kod Durova, however, reports that the same applications remain available to 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 faced severe connectivity issues with Telegram, the country's most popular messaging app.

Just days before these disruptions began, government official Andrey Svintsov claimed that Roskomnadzor had developed the technical capability to selectively restrict VPN traffic, warning that circumvention 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 haven't fundamentally changed, they have become more precise and efficient.

"Improved detection of VPN traffic, hosting infrastructure, and related services is now having a direct impact on Telegram’s availability," Banzaev explained, though he confirmed that Amnezia Free and Premium can still bypass Telegram restrictions.

However, it's clear that the country's approach to blocking websites is changing.

"Previously, censors focused on identifying weak points — specific servers, proxies, or CDNs. Now, blocking is applied more broadly and aggressively, with less concern about collateral damage or unintended disruptions," 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 pace, iPhone users in Russia could soon be left with very few options to access the free web.

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