A voting app created by allies of prominent Kremlin critic Alexey Navalny was removed from Google and Apple's online stores in Russia just as polls opened for parliamentary elections, according to a series of tweets from Navalny's team on Friday.
Ivan Zhdanov, a key ally of the jailed dissident, tweeted an image of an email he said was from Apple confirming the app was blocked. The email said the app, also called Navalny, was removed because Russia designates the Kremlin critic's anti-corruption foundation as"extremist," a reference to his now outlawed political movement. The app therefore contained content that is considered"illegal" in the country.
Millions of Russians are expected to head to the polls over a three-day period starting Friday in elections taking place against the backdrop of an unprecedented assault on democracy over the past year.Navalny's press secretary, Kira Yarmysh, tweeted that the decision of the American tech giants is a"huge disappointment" and an"act of political censorship" which"can't be justified.
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