Apple has stopped selling its products in Russia following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, the iPhone maker announced on Tuesday night.
The California-based company said it stopped all shipments to its sales channels in Russia last week, while Apple Pay and other services had also been limited.
In further action Apple has disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine “as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens”, as well as removed the apps of RT News and Sputnik News from its App Store outside Russia.
An Apple spokesman said: “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 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.”
Last week, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov asked Apple chief executive Tim Cook to halt sales.
“We are sure that such actions will motivate [the] youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression,” he wrote.
Other tech companies have stopped providing services in the country, such as Google Pay, while Facebook, TikTok and YouTube have blocked access to Russian media companies to European users.
Meanwhile, Snap said it would halt all advertising in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus to comply with sanctions on Russian companies and individuals.
The social platform will remain available in all three countries.
