Apple will immediately stop selling its products in Russia due to the war in Ukraine. Also, Apple Pay and “other services” are being restricted in Russia and Apple has stopped all exports to its sales channel in the country.
It is no longer possible to buy an iPhone or MacBook through the Apple Store in Russia, for example. “We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we are on the side of all those suffering as a result of the violence,” Apple said.
Sanctions against Russia have been announced worldwide in recent days. For example, Russians linked to the regime can no longer travel into Europe, the important gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 was shut down and Putin’s assets in Europe were frozen. The economic sanctions hit the country so hard that the ruble has collapsed.
Last week , the Ukrainian government asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to stop sales in Russia. “We support humanitarian efforts, provide assistance in the refugee crisis and are committed to supporting our teams in the region,” Apple said.
Apple joined Google, Ford, Harley-Davidson and other major companies to stop sales in Russia and distanced themselves from Moscow after President Putin’s all-out-invasion on Ukraine https://t.co/iGoZqX3yQJ pic.twitter.com/u1uzlsEVZ2
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 2, 2022
Major tech companies have also taken more action against Russian state media such as RT and Sputnik in recent days, because they spread disinformation about the war. RT and Sputnik are blocked by Facebook and YouTube in the EU . Television viewers can no longer receive the channels in many EU countries.
Apple now no longer offers the apps of the two state media in its App Store outside of Russia.
Apple Maps
Apple also says it has turned off traffic and live incident information in its map service Apple Maps in Ukraine “as a safety and precaution for Ukrainian citizens.” Google also disabled such information on Google Maps on Monday . The live traffic data and up-to-date information on site congestion could endanger human lives in Ukraine.
#Apple products no longer for sale in #Russia as market fluctuates – http://t.co/5jITCgE3fl #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/WAw2toeQk4
— Tech News (@TheBestTechNews) December 16, 2014