Apple Says Its “Deeply Concerned” About Ukraine Invasion, Pulls iPhones From Russian Stores
They've also limited the use of Apple Pay and Apple Maps, with some features disabled entirely.
Apple has pulled Russian news applications from the App Store, as well as halting the sale of iPhones in Russia as it joins a growing list of international companies opposing the conflict in Ukraine.
While Russia lacks any official Apple Stores, the ban will impact authorised retailers such as Megafon and MTS as it comes into effect this week.
A spokesperson for Apple says the company was “deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
“We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.” the spokesperson said.
The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, sent an open letter to the tech giant’s CEO Tim Cook last week, requesting it to “stop the supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation,” citing modern technology as the best solution to tanks, rocket launchers and missiles.
“We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression,” Fedorov said in an open letter.
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. pic.twitter.com/b5dm78g2vS
— Mykhailo Fedorov (@FedorovMykhailo) February 25, 2022
Apple Pay has also been affected in Russia, while traffic updates and live incident reports in Apple Maps being disabled as a “safety and precautionary decision.”
While Apple’s participation in business sanctions has been welcomed by many, the company has previously been less vocal about the human rights abuses by its manufacturing partner, China. Several Apple suppliers in China were reported as using Uyghur forced labour, in a report which came out last year.