Apple has suspended sales of its products in Russia, as the world’s most valuable company joins other multinationals boycotting the country following its invasion of Ukraine.
The iPhone maker has also followed Silicon Valley companies including Google and Facebook owner Meta in blocking access to Russian state media outlets Russia Today and Sputnik.
The RT News and Sputnik apps are no longer available on the iPhone’s App Store anywhere outside Russia. Facebook, YouTube and TikTok had previously blocked the news sites from their platforms in Europe.
“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, ”the company said in a statement, adding that it was also supporting humanitarian efforts in the region.
Customers are unable to make purchases from the Russian version of Apple’s online store, which shows products including the latest iPhones as “currently unavailable”.
“We have taken a number of actions in response to the invasion,” Apple said on Tuesday. “We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country. ”
Apple has also followed Google Maps in disabling live traffic updates on its mapping app in Ukraine, which some feared could present a risk to civilians by highlighting crowded areas.
“We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with relevant governments on the actions we are taking,” Apple said. “We join all those around the world who are calling for peace.”
Last week, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice-prime minister, had tweeted a letter to Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, asking him to “stop supplying Apple services and products” to Russia, in order to rally opposition among Russia’s youth.
Tech companies’ break with Russia escalated further on Tuesday as Snapchat parent Snap said it would stop showing ads in the region, while Google has removed Russian state media outlets from its News search results.
“We continue to offer the Snapchat application in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia as it remains an important communications tool for family and friends,” Snap said in a post on its website.
Poppy Wood, a former tech adviser to 10 Downing Street, said the response from corporates to Russia’s invasion has highlighted a new era in which previously neutral players, including tech companies, are realizing they need to overhaul how they operate and side with the west.
“Just in the past week we’ve seen the biggest shift in German foreign policy in decades and the Swiss no longer being neutral,” she said. “You just can’t sit back any more and say, ‘sorry we’re service providers – we’re not countries, we’re companies’. That’s not going to fly any more. ”
Russia is not a large market for Apple. The iPhone has a market share of about 15 per cent in the country, where total smartphone sales tallied up to around 32mn devices last year, according to Counterpoint Research. That suggests Russians bought about 2 per cent of the more than 220mn iPhones sold globally every year.
Last year, the App Store in Russia generated $ 694mn from consumer spending, accounting for less than 1 per cent of Apple’s global services revenue, according to Sensor Tower.
All smartphone makers selling their products in Russia are required to notify the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Russian national security agency. The FSB oversees all imports to Russia of encryption technologies, such as the iPhone’s “Secure Enclave” chip that handles Apple Pay, biometrics and other security features.
Like other IT vendors, Apple has been exempted from US restrictions on doing business with the FSB, which were introduced last March when the agency was designated a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction.
