Russia asks Apple and Google to remove Telegram from their app stores

The country’s state telecommunications regulator confirmed on Tuesday that it has asked for Telegram to be removed from the Google Play and Apple App Store, reports Reuters. The request comes days after a Russian court ordered a ban on the secure messaging app. It’s unknown if Apple and Google will comply with the request, but if they do they would likely only pull the app from their Russian app stores, with it still being available on the app stores of other countries, which Russian citizens could still presumably access if they have a means of payment for the foreign app stores.