Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

You can no longer buy Apple products in Russia

Apple today joined the list of tech companies that have responded to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine. In its most significant move yet, the company paused sales of its entire product line up in Russia with immediate effect, Bloomberg reports. The decision has resulted in the cessation of sales being made via Apple’s online store for Russia. People attempting to buy an Apple product via the Russian Apple Store are now welcomed with a ‘Delivery Unavailable’ message, MacRumors reports.

Apple also issued a statement confirming the developments and added that it has already stopped the exports of its products to Russia effective last week. In addition, several of Apple’s services — including Apple Pay — have been severely restricted in the country. Apple has also removed RT News and Sputnik News apps from all App stores outside Russia. The company has also disabled live traffic data and live incidents in Ukraine as a precautionary measure.

Recommended Videos

"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." https://t.co/zVh60Pls6N

— John Paczkowski (@JohnPaczkowski) March 1, 2022

Because Apple does not operate its signature brick-and-mortar stores in the country, it remains unclear if offline sales of Apple products in Russia will be affected by this move. Apple’s offline sales in Russia are handled by official Apple resellers. However, with Apple stopping the export of Apple products to Russia, these stores may not be able to replenish their stocks once the existing inventory is exhausted.

Apple’s decision to halt product sales in Russia comes barely a week after Ukrainian vice prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook and requested him to stop device sales in the country. The prime minister also wanted Apple to block App Store access to its Russian customers.

Late last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook also issued a statement where he said he was “deeply concerned” with the entire situation in Ukraine. He said the company was trying to help Apple’s team in Ukraine while also supporting local humanitarian efforts.

Russia and its 144 million people are a fairly significant market for Apple. It remains to be seen how much of an impact the decision has on Apple’s future prospects in Russia.

Rahul Srinivas
Rahul is a smartphone buff turned tech journalist who has been tinkering with all things mobile since the early 2000s. He has…
You can finally try one of iOS 18’s coolest AI features
A person holding an iPhone that shows an image.

Apple Intelligence, unveiled at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), is still under development nearly three months later. The only way to access some of its features before a public release is by downloading the latest iOS 18.1 developer beta and receiving an invitation from Apple.

Until now, most of Apple Intelligence's features available to individuals outside of Apple are related to writing and communication tools. With the third iOS 18.1 beta released earlier this week, Apple released a feature related to the Photos app.

Read more
WatchOS 11 will change your Apple Watch more than you realize
The Apple Watch Series 9 with the Snoopy watch face.

Since its reveal at WWDC 2024 this June, I've been incredibly eager to try Apple's watchOS 11 update. What was initially expected to be a small, tepid update, watchOS 11 quickly proved to be much more exciting than we initially thought.

There are the big hallmark features, of course — specifically the ability to pause your activity goals, plus Apple's new Vitals app. But there are plenty of smaller features, too, and they're just as deserving of your attention.

Read more
6 reasons why you shouldn’t buy the iPhone 15
A green iPhone 15 lock screen.

The Apple iPhone 15 series was introduced last year and includes the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. These are Apple's latest phones until the iPhone 16 series is announced this fall.

The iPhone 15 would typically be an excellent choice for users who don't require all the additional features of the iPhone 15 Pro series. However, there are several reasons why you should no longer consider this phone. Some of these reasons are related to the phone itself, while others are associated with where we are on Apple's iPhone release schedule.

Read more