Apple Removes DVPN App in Russia After Gov’t Takedown Request

• Apple removes DVPN from the Russian App Store following a request from Roskomnadzor.
• DVPN was a top free app in Russia and used decentralized technology to bypass censorship.
• Over 100 VPNs are now unavailable on Russia's App Store as VPN restrictions intensify.

Apple has removed NORSE Labs' decentralized VPN app, DVPN, from its Russian App Store after receiving a takedown request from Roskomnadzor, Russia's federal censorship agency. Before it was taken down, the app was reportedly the third most popular free app in the country.

NORSE Labs' founder and CEO, Aleksandr Litreev, said he was informed of the app's removal on April 17, 2025. Apple cited that the app includes content "illegal in Russia" as the reason for the decision. However, Litreev criticized the move, saying it happened "without any valid court order" and that Apple acted at the government's request. He shared his frustration in a post on X (formerly Twitter), calling it another step in Russia's growing crackdown on digital privacy tools.

Just a few hours ago, @Apple removed our @norselabs DVPN app from the Russian App Store—without any valid court order—at the request of Roskomnadzor, the government’s censorship agency.

Thread 👇 pic.twitter.com/cVWWCzJsao

— Aleksandr Litreev (@alexlitreev) April 17, 2025

DVPN is a decentralized VPN service that operates through a network of independent nodes instead of centralized servers. This structure is meant to make the app harder to block and more resilient against censorship, providing Russian users with more reliable access to the open internet. NORSE Labs claims this approach offers both improved privacy and stronger circumvention capabilities—qualities that have made DVPN especially popular among users trying to bypass Russian internet restrictions through VPNs.

Litreev, who fled Russia in 2020 and is known for his opposition to the Kremlin, has been active in creating tools that support privacy and anti-censorship. "Ensuring secure and free access to independent media is a fundamental duty of any democratic power in the fight for human rights, and Apple picked the wrong side," he said.

This incident adds to a long list of VPN removals from Apple's Russian App Store. Since the start of 2024, over 100 VPN apps have been removed. The list of banned VPNs includes popular services like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, ProtonVPN, and most recently, Amnezia VPN. These removals come in response to new Russian laws criminalizing the promotion or use of tools that help bypass online restrictions.

Google has also received similar requests from Russian authorities. According to AppCensorship data, Google received 212 takedown orders for VPN apps between March and April 2025. However, only six apps have been removed so far, with the total number of blocked VPNs on the Russian Google Play Store currently at 53.

Litreev reassured that even after Apple removes DVPN from Russia, people who have already downloaded it before the ban will be able to use it. For new users, he recommended switching their App Store region to a different country to download the app. He also pointed out that NORSE Labs offers a mini version of the VPN through Telegram, which remains operational.

"We're working on a tool to help our Russian users bypass this absurd restriction and install the app directly," Litreev added, noting that legal action is also being considered.