On July 13, the European Union expanded its sanctions list against Russia, adding VK and its subsidiary investment company Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma, which developed the national messenger Max. The move was published in the EU’s official journal.
According to the European documents, VK, in the EU’s assessment, “provides technical support for the repression of civil society and the democratic opposition” in Russia. Kommunikatsionnaya Platforma was sanctioned on the same grounds.
“EU sanctions do not affect the operation of VK and Max. The applications and services remain available to users as usual,” VK’s press service told RBC.
In total, the updated list published on July 13 includes 11 individuals and five companies. It also names developers and suppliers of software for operational-search systems: VAS Experts, Norsi-Trans, and Citadel.
The restrictions were introduced over human rights violations in Russia. The report also says that the Russian authorities have been steadily promoting the so-called national messenger Max while at the same time restricting the operation of its more successful competitors, Telegram and WhatsApp.
Experts have repeatedly criticized Max over security problems.