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| Apple has stopped selling all of its products in Russia |
After the invasion of Ukraine, Apple temporarily halted sales of physical products in Russia, according to a statement by Apple. This is the company's latest move after restrictions on Apple Pay in Russia under sanctions.
Apple has also removed some Russian news apps from the third-party App Store. The company said in its statement that it halted all exports to its distribution channels in Russia last week in response to the violence.
The company added that it continues to assess the situation and is in contact with the governments of the affected countries.
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Mikhailo Fedorov sent an open letter to the company. In that, he called for isolating Russia from its products, services and application stores.
In his message, Fedorov said that he was confident that the measures would inspire the young and active in Russia to expect shameful military aggression.
While the company's statement does not mention any planned actions related to the App Store, the company said it has stopped displaying traffic and live accident reports on its map of Ukraine as a safety measure.
Apple is taking steps to upgrade
Google has also disabled traffic data for Ukraine in its maps. Before it was suspended, researchers used it to track Russian incursions and better understand troop movements.
Although the Russian Apple Store is still available online. However, products such as the iPhone Mac are listed as currently out of stock and cannot be added to the cart.
Here is Apple's full statement: We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. We stand with all who suffer from violence. We support humanitarian efforts and provide assistance in exacerbating the refugee crisis. We are doing everything we can to support our teams in the regions. We have taken steps to deal with intrusion. We have temporarily suspended all sales of products in Russia. Last week we stopped all exports to distribution channels in this country. Apple Pay and other services are restricted. RT News and Sputnik News are no longer available for download from the App Store outside of Russia. As a precaution to protect Ukrainian citizens, we have traffic accidents and disability accidents live on the map of Ukraine. We will continue to assess the situation and communicate with affected governments about the actions we are taking. We are with all those who demand peace in the world.