Putin's foes accuse Google and Apple of caving to Kremlin pressure

Members of a local election commission check ballots at a polling station ahead of a three-day parliamentary vote in Moscow, Russia September 16, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian opposition activists accused Alphabet's Google and Apple of caving to Kremlin pressure on Friday after the U.S. tech giants removed an anti-government tactical voting app from their stores on the first day of a parliamentary election.

The app, devised by allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, gives people detailed recommendations on who to vote for in an effort to thwart the ruling United Russia party which supports President Vladimir Putin.