Apple has responded to Vladimir Putin’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine by pausing all product sales in Russia, in addition to supporting humanitarian causes offering support to the people of Ukraine. It has also limited Apple Pay in the country, canceled various sales exports heading that way, and taken Russian news outlets off the App Store around the world. (Though they remain available in Russia).
In what some are calling a “war of information,” many countries and large corporations are refusing to deal with Putin’s Russia while this event is ongoing, essentially cutting them off from the rest of the world. Apple is clearly hoping its sanctions will go some way towards bringing things to a conclusion, while also trying to practically support those suffering in Ukraine. Here’s Apple’s full statement on the matter, as first reported by Ian Sherr on Twitter.
“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 supportinghumanitarian efforts, providing aid for the unfolding refugee crisis, and doing all we can to support our teams in the region.
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 to download from the App Store outside Russia. And we have disabled traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for Ukrainian citizens.
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.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook also noted on his personal Twitter that Apple is “doing all we can for our teams there.” Meanwhile, plenty of other tech giants are taking action against Russia too. Let’s all hope it doesn’t last long.