Apple has halted all online sales in Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine.
"We have paused all product sales in Russia. Last week, we stopped all exports in our sales channel in the country," the company told BuzzFeed. "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 added.
State-owned Russian news agency TASS was first to report that Apple had halted sales after it noticed that the delivery status of items in the company’s online store in Russia came up as “currently unavailable." Indeed, Russians can no longer buy the iPhone 13 Pro, AirPods, AirTags, iPad mini, Apple Watch, and numerous other accessories and products via Apple’s online store.
The news arrives days after Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov called on the company to stop selling its products and services in Russia to pressure the Russian government to call off the invasion of Ukraine. “We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression,” Fedorov said.
Fedorov also called on Apple to stop offering its iOS App Store to Russian-based users. The company's statement to BuzzFeed mentions no such action. However, Apple has decided to remove Russian state-sponsored media outlets RT and Sputnik News from the iOS App Store across all markets, except for Russia.
"We will continue to evaluate the situation and are in communication with relevant governments on the actions we are taking," Apple added. "We join all those around the world who are calling for peace."
Although Apple has an e-commerce site in Russia, the company has no physical Apple Stores in the country. Instead, local electronics dealers such as Re:Store have sold Apple products at physical retail shops.