Russian Prime Minister Mishustin said today that Apple and Google may soon not allow Russians to download applications from their application stores in Russia. So it is necessary for Russia to establish its own application platform. He said Russia’s Android-based online app store could be ready for use by this summer.
Speaking with a government report in the State Duma, the head of government called on developers and programmers to create their own online application store due to possible restrictions from foreign platforms.
“I appeal, taking this opportunity: guys, developers, programmers, IT people, let’s make our own ecosystem. We have everything for this. There are elements of this ecosystem that need to be improved. You need to make your own online store, because the App Store and Google Play may soon not allow you to download applications,” he said.
Tech companies such as Apple and Google have previously stopped supporting Russian users due to Western sanctions against Russia. For example, YouTube and Google Play have suspended all payment-based services in Russia, including subscriptions.
Vladimir Zikov, project director of the Digital platform, previously said: “Unfortunately, Russians can no longer use Google Play to purchase applications normally, and developers have lost their source of income.”
“That’s why we created the Russian app store NashStore,” Zikov said in a statement. NashStore, which translates to “OurStore”, will serve Android mobile devices and will eventually be compatible with the Russian Mir bank card.
Earlier, on March 16, Delovaya Rossiya proposed to the Ministry of Digital Development to significantly expand the circle of IT companies that could qualify for anti-crisis support from the state. The business association proposed to provide benefits to companies whose 20% of their revenue comes from the sale of software registered with Rospatent or the unified register of domestic software.
