In this article, we are going to cover what is RuStore, an app store developed by VK to replace western alternatives such as Google Play Store and App Store.
The App Store and Play Store are operated by Apple and Google, which is the two largest app stores in the world. Russian users have been restricted access to these two app markets as a result of Moscow’s actions towards Ukraine. VK, a Russian internet community, has just established an independent app store in response. This domestic application shop has been launched as part of a Kremlin-sponsored campaign to establish a local alternative to digital services supplied by Western rivals. VK is a Russian internet company that provides various online services, including social media platforms, food delivery apps, and more. Gazprom Media owns a portion of this Russian internet firm, which has become a contender to replace Western online services.
What is RuStore?
RuStore is an app store operated by VK, a Russian internet organization. With assistance from Russia’s ministry of digital development, communications, and mass media, as well as the country’s major lender Sberbank and cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, VK developed RuStore.
RuStore app features
VK which has more than 60 million users, dubbed “Russia’s Facebook,” has announced the public availability of a beta version of RuStore, the country’s first Android app store. At launch, according to VK, more than 100 apps are available on the store, which also includes government services. The company’s CEO Vladimir Kiriyenko said:
“I am sure that RuStore will be in demand among both users and developers. It has everything it needs to become the largest Russian app store.”
Why did VK develop RuStore?
Russia is promoting the rapid growth of domestic digital replacements. The country’s campaign to gain control over the internet space has been aided by the creation of these local digital alternatives, which restrict access from Western rivals such as Instagram and Facebook, Twitter, and even Google News. One example of this domestic digital replacement is Rossgram, Instagram’s Russian alternative.
“Creating a Russian app store is an essential task, dictated by market conditions,” said Maksut Shadaev, Russia’s minister of communications and media, in a statement announcing the launch of RuStore. Other Russian politicians have also pushed for users to abandon foreign rivals.
In the first weeks of what Moscow refers to as its “special military operation” in Ukraine, Russia has been attempting to attract Information Technology (IT) specialists as the nation saw an exodus of IT professionals. Since then, the Russian government has offered tax breaks and low-interest loans to IT businesses. To retain them in Russia, the government is offering a postponement of military service for IT experts.
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