According to a statement from Apple, sales of its physical products in Russia have been halted as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. This is Apple’s latest move, following sanctions-related restrictions on Apple Pay in Russia and the removal of select Russian news apps from the App Store outside of Russia.
In response to the violence, Apple “stopped all exports into our sales channel in the country” last week, according to its statement, which has been included below. The corporation said it will “continue to assess the issue” and is in contact with the governments of the countries involved.
Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash
While Apple’s statement makes no mention of any upcoming App Store actions, it does explain that it has disabled traffic and live incident reports in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a precaution. Google has also disabled Ukraine traffic data on Google Maps, which was previously being used by researchers to track the Russian invasion and get insight into army movements.
Here is the complete statement from Apple –
“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.”
