Moscow, Mar 17 (Agency) Google has removed mobile apps of a number of sanctioned Russian banks, including Bank Saint-Petersburg and Uralsib, from its Play Store, a Sputnik correspondent reported. In addition, the platform deleted the applications of several other financial institutions, including Bank Primorye, Bank Levoberezhny, Bank ZENIT, SDM-Bank, The Ural Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Lanta-Bank and Metallurgical Investment Bank.
Western countries have frozen Russia’s foreign currency reserves and halted international payments from Russian banks as part of a sanctions campaign against Moscow after it launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Last month, the United States imposed sanctions against a number of Russian banks, including Credit Bank of Moscow, Bank Saint-Petersburg and Joint Stock Commercial Bank Primorye, prohibiting US legal entities and individuals from any transactions with the financial institutions. In early March, mobile apps of some of the banks were removed from the App Store.