FILE PHOTO: An Apple logo hangs above the entrance to the Apple store on 5th Avenue in the Manhattan borough of New York City, July 21, 2015.REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. tech giant Apple removed the mobile apps of 25 VPN services from its App Store, following a request by Russia's state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor, Interfax reported on Thursday.
Demand for VPN services soared in Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in 2022 and the authorities restricted access to some Western social media.
Russian communications watchdog Roskomnadzor has already blocked access to some large VPNs, but others remained available.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Maxim Rodionov; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
