Apple Halted All Product Sales In Russia And Disabled Maps Features In Ukraine
Apple announced sweeping changes on Tuesday that will limit the use of its services by Russian citizens and the Russian government.
In a statement, the company said it has “paused all product sales in Russia,” and that its payment platform Apple Pay has been “limited.” Earlier this week, Apple confirmed that it no longer supports Russian bank Novikombank, and Russian citizens have reported issues using the service to pay for items while overseas.
Last week, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a copy of a letter he’d sent to Apple CEO Tim Cook, where he requested that Apple “stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation.”
The company also announced that Kremlin-controlled news outlets RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available on the App Store outside of Russia. Facebook also announced on Tuesday that it has ceased recommending Russian state media worldwide.
In addition to these restrictions, Apple has also disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps inside of Ukraine “as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.”
“We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with relevant governments on the actions we are taking,” the company said. “We join all those around the world who are calling for peace.”
See the company’s full statement below:
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 relevant governments on the actions we are taking. We join all those around the world who are calling for peace.
Apple announced sweeping changes on Tuesday that will limit the use of its services by Russian citizens and the Russian government. In a statement, the company said it has “paused all product sales in Russia,” and that its payment platform Apple Pay has been “limited.” Earlier this week, Apple confirmed…
