Apple and Google ordered by Russia's media authority to take down the app of Vladimir Putin's biggest opponent

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, his wife Yulia, opposition politician Lyubov Sobol and other demonstrators march in memory of murdered Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov in downtown Moscow on February 29, 2020.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

• Russia's media authority has ordered Google and Apple to take down Alexei Navalny's app.
• Navalny, who is currently in prison in Russia, is President Vladimir Putin's biggest opponent.
• The move appears to be the latest attempt by the Russian government to silence Navalny.
• See more stories on Insider's business page.

Russia's media authority Roskomnadzor has ordered Apple and Alphabet, Google's parent company, to take the app of the biggest opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin off of their platforms, according to a report.

Roskomnadzor said the app dedicated to publishing stories about Alexei Navalny should be taken off of Google and Apple's app stores because Russian courts have labeled Navalny's anti-corruption foundation as extremist, the Russian news agency Interfax reported on Friday.

Neither Apple or Alphabet were immediately available for comment Saturday about the request.

The development marks the latest attempt by the Russian government to silence Navalny. Navalny is currently in a Russian prison after returning to the country from Germany, where he recovered from being poisoned with the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok in Serbia last August. The Russian government says he is guilty of embezzlement.

Putin and the Russian government's treatment of Navalny continues to draw criticism from abroad. During a Friday meeting with Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Navalny's imprisonment unacceptable and called for his release.

The team of US President Joe Biden has warned Russia of "consequences" if Navalny dies while in custody.

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