Apple confirmed today that it has stopped product sales in Russia. The news comes days after the hardware giant pulled Sputnik and RT News from the App Store and disabled some Apple Pay services in the country. Today's news also shows that Apple Maps features have been disabled.
The company's spokesman offered the following 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.
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.
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.
Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote an open letter to Tim Cook last week.
Apple issuing a verbal rebuke of Russia's actions in recent weeks, along with other tech leaders, is the biggest step from one of the world's largest companies.
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