Russia Demands Apple and Google Remove Independent Investigative News App

Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor has formally demanded that Apple and Google remove the IStories mobile app, an independent investigative outlet's tool designed to circumvent domestic website blocking and deliver news without a VPN; the regulator accused the app of spreading “fakes” and threatened takedown if IStories did not delete the alleged content. IStories urged users to download the app before potential removal, and the action is presented as part of a broader, yearslong crackdown on independent media and digital freedom in Russia, with precedent of tech companies complying under similar pressure.