Apple suspends sales of iPhone, iPad, AirPods and all its products in the Russian market. At the request of Ukraine, the Californian giant decreed several sanctions against Russia.
This Tuesday, March 1, 2022, Apple announced the suspension of sales of all its products in Russia. In a message sent to AFP, the Silicon Valley giant explains that it has stopped all exports terminals as early as last week, shortly after the start of the invasion of Ukraine.
Russian authorized resellers are therefore no longer able to restock. For their part, Internet users based in Russia can no longer access the online store of the brand. Apple is responding to a request made by Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine. Shortly after the first strikes on Ukrainian cities, he asked Apple to stop selling its products on the Russian market.
Apple removes RT and Sputnik apps from its App Store
Displayed support from Ukraine, Apple also suspended Apple Pay, its mobile payment service, in Russia. A few days earlier, economic sanctions against many Russian banks had already hampered the operation of the service. Customers whose card is from a sanctioned bank were no longer able to use the service. This is also the case with Google Pay.
At the request of the European Commission, Apple also banned Russian media RT and Sputnik from its App Store outside of Russia. The applications of the two media, accused of relaying Kremlin propaganda, have been removed from the store. RT and Sputnik have also been banned from most social networks, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
Mirroring Google with its Google Maps service, Apple claims to have “disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens”. In this way, the Russian troops are no longer able to follow population movements on Ukrainian territory.
Also Read: War in Ukraine May Worsen Shortage of Computer Chips
On Twitter, Mykhailo Fedorov welcomed Apple’s decisions. However, he believes that the American group should go even further by blocking the App Store in Russia. For the time being, Apple has not yet acceded to the manager’s request.
