On 5 August 2023, Apple deleted two podcasts by independent Russian media outlets from its dedicated platform, Apple Podcasts. The deleted programs were Shto Sluchilos? (“What Happened?”), the daily flagship podcast of Meduza, Russia’s most popular independent news outlet, as well as Kholod, a podcast of the Russian independent outlet with the same name. On August 7, Apple restored access to both programs, explaining neither why they had been deleted nor the reasons for which they were later restored, according to the company’s official communications with Meduza.
Several days earlier, a court in Moscow fined Apple 400 thousand rubles for refusing to remove content which, according to authorities, presented “fake” news about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russian authorities accused the tech company of “drawing minors into illegal activities with the aim of destabilizing the political situation in Russia”.