Key facts
- The EU has sanctioned VKontakte and the new social media app Max.
- The sanctions target VK, its subsidiary Communication Platform LLC, and Max's head Elena Bagudina.
- The EU stated that VK provided Russian authorities with user data critical of the Ukraine invasion.
- The Max app is alleged to have extensive surveillance features used for repressive actions.
- The development of the Max app was supervised by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB).
The European Union has imposed new sanctions targeting Russia's largest social media company, VKontakte, and a new government-promoted app called Max. The EU stated that the sanctions are a response to Russia's continued use of new technologies to restrict freedom of expression, access to information, and freedom of association.
The listings include VK, the company that owns the VKontakte website, its subsidiary Communication Platform LLC which developed Max, and Max's head, Elena Bagudina. The EU noted that VK has provided the Russian government with data on users who criticized Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, thereby assisting in the repression of civil society and democratic opposition.
Most of the sanctions focus on the Max app, which is reportedly pre-installed on all mobile devices sold in Russia and includes extensive surveillance features. These features have allegedly been used for repressive actions against users critical of the war in Ukraine or those posting banned content. The EU's full sanctions listing indicates that the development of the Max app was supervised by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) and its release coincided with a crackdown on access to other social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp.
This action follows Apple's recent decision to remove VKontakte from its app store for the second time. The CEO of VK, Vladimir Kiriyenko, has been under EU sanctions since March 2022. The latest listings were made under a new EU sanctions framework established after the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, which allows the bloc to target individuals responsible for human rights abuses within Russia. The sanctions package also includes companies involved in providing hardware and software for digital communication surveillance in Russia.