Navalny app removed from online stores as Russian polls open

AN app created by allies of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny disappeared from Apple and Google stores yesterday as polls opened across Russia for three days of voting in a parliamentary election.

Russian authorities are seeking to suppress the use of Smart Voting, a project designed by Mr Navalny to promote candidates that are most likely to defeat those backed by the Kremlin.

This weekend’s election is widely seen as an important part of President

Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024 presidential polls, in which control of parliament will be key.

Apple and Google have come under pressure in recent weeks, with Russian officials urging them to remove the app, which features Smart Voting, saying failure to do so will be interpreted as interference in the election and threatening them with fines.

Last week, Russia’s Foreign Ministry summoned US ambassador John

Sullivan over the issue. On Thursday, representatives of Apple and Google were invited to a meeting in the upper house of Russia’s parliament, the Federation Council. The Council’s commission on protecting state sovereignty said in a statement after the meeting that Apple agreed to cooperate with Russian authorities.

Apple and Google have not responded to a request for comment.Google was forced to remove the app because it faced legal demands by regulators and threats of criminal prosecution in Russia, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter who also said Russian police officers visited Google’s offices in Moscow on Monday to enforce a court order to block the app.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the presidential administration “definitely, of course” welcomes the companies’ decision to remove the app, as it comes in compliance with Russian laws.