Apple has suspended sales of its products in Russia, joining other multinationals boycotting the country after the invasion of Ukraine.
The iPhone maker also followed Silicon Valley companies including Google and Facebook owner Meta in blocking access to Russian state-run media Russia Today and Sputnik.
The RT News and Sputnik apps are no longer available on the App Store anywhere outside of Russia. Facebook, YouTube and TikTok had already blocked news sites from their platforms in Europe.
“We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and we support all the people who are suffering as a result of the violence,” the company said in a statement, adding that it is also supporting humanitarian efforts in the region.
Customers are now unable to shop on the Russian version of Apple’s online store, which shows products such as the latest iPhones as “unavailable at this time”.
“We took a number of actions in response to the hack,” Apple said Tuesday. “We have paused all sales of products in Russia. Last week, we suspended all exports in our sales channel in the country.”
Apple also followed Google Maps by disabling live traffic updates on its Ukraine map app, which some feared could pose a risk to residents by highlighting areas of high concentration of people.
“We will continue to assess the situation and are in communication with the relevant governments on the actions we are taking. We join with all those around the world who are calling for peace.”
Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
