Apple blocks sales of its products, services in Russia

Apple has announced to pause sales of its products in Russia in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Cupertino-based tech giant also said its services including Apple Pay have been limited in the country.

“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence,” Apple said in an official statement.

The company also said that it is “supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region”.

The US-based technology company has paused sales of all its products in Russia. All services offered by the company including Apple Pay have also been limited in the country.

Apple has blocked Russian news apps on the App store globally. The Russian state media apps like RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the Apple Store outside Russia.

Last week Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov posted an open letter to Apple to cut Russia off from its products, services, and App Store.

“I’ve contacted @tim_cook, Apple’s CEO, to block the Apple Store for citizens of the Russian Federation, and to support the package of US government sanctions! If you agree to have the president-killer, then you will have to be satisfied with the only available site Russia 24,” Vice PM Fedorov said via an official tweet.

Google recently blocked Russian state media from earning money on its platforms. Other tech platforms like Facebook and YouTube followed the same path.

Google spokesperson said in an official statement, “in response to the war in Ukraine, we are pausing Google monetization of Russian state-funded media across our platforms”. “We’re actively monitoring new developments and will take further steps if necessary,” the spokesperson further added.

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