Oliver Haslam·

Apple Stops Selling Products In Russia And More, Confirms It’s Because Of The Invasion Of Ukraine

Apple has stopped selling its products in Russia and in fact stopped sending products through its Russian supply chain last week, according to the company.

In a press release Apple confirmed the move and reiterated it in an email sent to its team members, going on to say that it will be donating to help recovery efforts as well as matching donations at a ratio of 2:1 of those made by employees.

Apple is donating to humanitarian relief efforts and providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis. We are also working with partners to assess what more we can do. I know that many of you are eager to find ways to support as well, and we want to help amplify the impact of your donations. Starting today, Apple will match your donations at a rate of 2:1 for eligible organizations, and we will make this retroactive for donations to those organizations since February 25. Please visit the Employee Giving Portal to learn more.

Apple confirmed that not only are products not being sold in Russia but that it is also tweaking Apple Maps in Ukraine in an effort to ensure its features aren’t used to locate people.

As a company, we are taking additional actions as well. 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 and other companies are reacting to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. Apple Pay had already been removed from Russian banks and both RT News and Sputnik News are outlets that have been accused of being mouthpieces for the Kremlin in the past. Removing them from international App Stores may help control the spread of misinformation, although those with the apps already installed will still be able to use them.

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