During his speech in the State Duma, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that the Apple App Store and Google Play app stores could stop working for Russian users. He also stressed the importance of creating a Russian analogue of Google Play.

“The key mobile app stores App Store and Google Play may soon stop allowing you to download applications in the Russian Federation,” Mr. Mishustin said in the State Duma.

The lack of access to the largest app stores, according to the head of government, is a strong argument for developing their Russian alternative. “The Russian online application store on Android should be operational by the summer of this year,” the prime minister said. He also noted that the issue of monetization of Russian Internet platforms is ripe.