text:  Apple has removed several virtual private network apps from the App Store in Russia following demands from the Kremlin. VPN apps are used by many Russians to get around the country's internet sensors. It's been described as Russia's digital iron curtain. Twitter, now X, Meta's Facebook and Instagram and other Western social media apps are blocked inside of Russia, as are a number of independent news organizations which have reported on the country's war in Ukraine. Apple removing the VPN apps was first reported by tech news site TechCrunch.