It looks like Apple is taking the fight to the Kremlin.

After pulling a voting app associated with jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Apple has now reinstated it on the Russian App Store.

The Smart Voting app was pulled last fall after the Kremlin threatened to criminally prosecute Apple employees in Russia.

Apple's decision to relist the app follows several steps taken by the company to pull back from the Russian market, including halting product sales.

Apple didn't explain the move, but activists have noted that this kind of software provides an important alternative to state-controlled media.

I think Steve Jobs would have been proud.

-- Leander Kahney, EIC.

Putin opposition app returns to the App Store in Russia — www.cultofmac.com

Smart Voting, an app run by supporters of jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny, has returned to the App Store in Russia following its removal last September. Cupertino pulled the app after Russia made threats about prosecuting top Apple employees in the country.

Wow, this stunning iPad drawing isn’t a photo — www.cultofmac.com

Greg “Joz” Joswiak, Apple’s marketing chief, shared an image of a surprised young girl. It looks like a photo, but the image was instead drawn by an Apple employee using an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

iOS 15.5 adds support for apps with external payment options — www.cultofmac.com

The change comes after Apple confirmed it will give “reader” apps the ability to include links to external sites where users can manage their accounts and subscriptions, and make purchases outside of the App Store.

Colorful Cordura bands for Apple Watch are tough but comfortable — www.cultofmac.com

If you need an Apple Watch band that’s tough enough for anything you might throw at it, BluShark’s Cordura bands are a terrific choice. They’re immensely durable, and surprisingly comfortable (thanks to a soft leather backing). Made from the same fabric used to make tactical backpacks and other gear, Cordura bands are available in a variety of color options — and nicely priced at just $32. You can bag yours today from the Cult of Mac Store.

Pics and K-pop: Cupertino shows off new Apple Store opening in Seoul — www.cultofmac.com

Apple Myeongdong opens Saturday in South Korea’s capital. Apple gave the world a sneak peek at what will be its biggest store in the country, along with details on Today at Apple programs celebrating Korean culture, including a new K-pop session.

iWork 12 adds features to better compete with Microsoft Office — www.cultofmac.com

The just-released Pages 12.0, Numbers 12.0 and Keynote 12.0 offer a variety of new features, including much finer control over font sizes in the iPad and iPhone versions. Other new features are available to all users of the iWork suite.

iPad with OLED display pegged for 2024 — www.cultofmac.com

There’ve been enough previous leaks pointing to Apple switching at least some of its tablets from standard LCDs to OLEDs that it’s become a question of when, not if.

Tweet o' the day

One more thing ...

"I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out, I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting." -- Steve Jobs