Russia's communications regulator on Wednesday demanded an explanation from Apple Inc after applications operated by the Russian state-controlled tech firm VK were removed from the US firm's app store.
A report on Reuters pointed out the regulator, Roskomnadzor, has been a thorn in the side of foreign tech firms, issuing fines over data storage violations and for failures to remove content which Russia deems illegal.
VK runs Vkontakte, which with over 75 million monthly users is Russia's largest social network, often compared to Facebook.
Along with VK's email service Mail.ru, Vkontakte must be pre-installed on mobile devices sold in Russia.
Roskomnadzor said Apple's actions had deprived millions of Russians of access to VK apps and demanded that it explain its decision.
Apple said it follows laws in the jurisdictions where the company operates. Apple said the apps in question were being distributed by developers majority -owned or majority-controlled by one or more parties sanctioned by the UK government.
Regardless of location, the apps cannot be downloaded from any App store, said Apple, which terminated the developer accounts associated with the apps to comply with UK sanctions.
Roskomnadzor called the restrictions "discriminatory" and said they violated Russian internet users' right to free information and communication.
Russia has, however, itself limited its citizens' access to information by forcing all significant independent Russian media to close and blocking US social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
VK on Tuesday said that its apps, including Vkontakte, continued to work if already installed on smartphones, and that it was continuing to develop and support apps for Apple's iOS operating system.