Apple Pay closes loophole that allowed Russian users to pay with Mir cards

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple Pay will no longer support Russian card payment system Mir, closing a loophole that allowed Russians to use the service despite economic sanctions on the country, according to a report.

Apple has informed the National Payment Card System of Russia that it is suspending support of cards in the payment service Apple Pay.

The Central Bank of Russia owned Mir, which was established in response to the economic sanctions put on Russia after it annexed the peninsula of Crimea, according to The Guardian. Mir cards make up 32% of all new cards in the country according to the Central Bank.

The WSJ reports that Google is cutting ties with Mir. The pilot program that allowed users to connect their Mir cards to Google Pay has been paused.

The Verge reached out to the two tech giants with a request for comment but didn't hear back.

Several countries have imposed financial sanctions on Russia and many Russian users have been cut off from Apple Pay and Google Pay. Visa and Mastercard stopped their operations in Russia earlier this month, blocking Russians from using their credit or debit cards outside the country or for international online payments.