As the result of the Russian military offense against Ukraine’s sovereignty, Apple has stopped selling products via its official online store and suspended ‘Apple Pay’ service in Russia.
In late February, Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked its neighboring country, Ukraine as an act of self-defense against NATO expansion into eastern Europe and to reclaim its historic land. Moscow demands that Ukraine declares itself a “neutral” territory and Kyiv’s forces surrender.
However, Ukrainians are determined to fight the invaders and preserve their sovereignty. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook to explain the situation of the country after the Russian military attack and requested to stop selling Apple products and services in Russia.
Apple takes multiple actions to limit the impact of the Russian war against Ukraine and urges peace
The Moscow Times reported that Apple and Nike have suspended online sales of their products in Russia via their official online stores.
Earlier, the Central Bank of Russia announced that Apple Pay and Google Pay wireless payment services were not available for those banks’ card holders which are under financial sanctions by the International community like VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie are some of the banks affected by financial sanctions.
News outlets and Apple have confirmed the suspension of Apple Pay in Russia. In addition, the Cupertino tech giant has taken other actions.
Apple and Nike have temporarily suspended sales through their official Russian websiteshttps://t.co/tDDNuYiWjZ
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) March 1, 2022
Apple Pay will no longer work in Russia, the U.S.-based tech giant announced Tuesdayhttps://t.co/tDDNuYiWjZ
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) March 1, 2022
Apple also released an official statement on the war to express concern for the affectees of the war and announce the measures it has taken as the result of the war. The tech giant confirms that it has “paused” online sales, and stopped all exports to the country. It is removed RT News and Sputnik News apps from the App Store outside of Russia, and for the safety of Ukrainians, it has disabled traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine.
“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. We are supporting humanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.
We have taken a number of actions in response to the invasion. We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. Apple Pay and other services have been limited. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside Russia. And we have disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens. We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with the relevant governments on the actions we are taking. We join all those around the world who are calling for peace.”
