Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc, announced on Tuesday that it had removed mobile applications associated with RT and Sputnik from its Play store, after a previous decision to remove the Russian state publications from its news-related services.
In recent days, a number of internet companies have restricted distribution and advertising capabilities to Russian news sources as the European Commission prepares to ban them due to concerns that they are disseminating disinformation about the Ukraine conflict.
RT In a statement issued on Tuesday, Deputy Editor-in-Chief Anna Belkina stated that the technology firms that have halted her outlet’s distribution have not provided any evidence that it has published lies.
Sputnik did not reply quickly to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, Apple Inc said that RT News and Sputnik News were no longer accessible for download from its App Store outside of Russia.