Smart Voting app removed from Google Play and App Store

MOSCOW. Sept 17 (Interfax) - Google and Apple have removed the Smart Voting application linked to associates of Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny, from Google Play and App Store, Navalny's supporters said on social media.

Deputy head of Russian telecoms watchdog Roskomnadzor Vadim Subbotin said on September 16 that the companies may be fined if they refuse to remove the Smart Voting app, listed as Navalny, from their stores.

Google and Apple representatives attended a meeting of the Russian Federation Council's sovereignty protection commission on Thursday. According to Subbotin, they were unable to clarify the companies' stance regarding the issue of the app's removal from their stores.

In late August and in early September, Roskomnadzor demanded that Apple and Google delete the Navalny application from the App Store and Google Play, as it is used to promote the activities of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, designated in Russia as a foreign agent), which has also been declared extremist and has been banned in Russia.