Apple said in a statement that it is “deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” noting that it is “supporting humanitarian efforts” related to the war, as well as supporting its employees in Ukraine and “providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis.”
In addition to pausing sales and pulling the two news sources from its App Store, Apple revealed to the WSJ that it has already limited Apple Pay in Russia, which may make it difficult for users in the nation to make mobile payments using an iPhone or Apple Watch. Beyond that, the company has scrubbed live incidents and traffic from the Apple Maps service in Ukraine. It’s unclear how long these changes, including the sales pause, may last.
The decision comes days after Apple received a letter from Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov in which he asked the company to cut its services and product sales in Russia. Fedorov had asked for harsher restrictions from the company, including entirely blocking the App Store in Russia, though Apple appears to have decided against such drastic actions at this time.
Apple isn’t the only tech company to face pressure over its presence in the country, with others like Facebook, Twitter, and Alphabet also receiving similar requests. US Senator Mark R. Warner expressed concerns over the potential “misuse” of popular social media platforms by Russia, including potential “overt and covert” use intended to “sow confusion and promote disinformation narratives” related to the war.
We’ve already seen steps taken to address this, including Google’s decision to ban Russian state media from YouTube in Europe. For its part, the Russian government has lashed out at companies imposing restrictions, including partially banning Facebook access over the platform’s restriction on certain Russian news sources.
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