New Delhi: Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, Apple has expressed concern and mentioned that it has stopped all product sales and stopped exports into Russia. The iPhone maker, following the footsteps of other tech giants like Meta and Google, has pulled the Russian state-backed media apps Sputnik News and RT News from the Apple App Store in all the regions outside of Russia.
“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,” Apple said in a statement.
“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.”
The iPhone maker’s decision to remove RT News and Sputnik News from its global Apple App Store comes after a request from the Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov. He had written a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook urging the company to stop device sales in Russia and block access to the Apple App Store entirely.
Meanwhile, the iPhone maker added: “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.”