The Russian government significantly increased its iPhone purchases in the first nine months of 2024, acquiring four times more devices compared to the same period last year. This surge occurred despite restrictions on certain officials using Apple products.
Reuters:
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said in June 2023 that it had uncovered an American espionage operation that compromised thousands of iPhones using sophisticated surveillance software, an allegation Apple denied. The Kommersant newspaper last year reported that the Kremlin had told officials involved in preparations for Russia’s 2024 presidential election to stop using iPhones because of concerns the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies.
Vedomosti, citing an unnamed representative of the Tenderplan trading platform, said the value of contracts involving iPhones for the first three quarters of the year amounted to 6.9 million roubles ($71,469), up from 1.6 million roubles the year before.
The latest iPhone 16 is on sale and in high demand in Russia, despite Apple halting exports to Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.
Unfazed by higher prices and using so-called grey or parallel imports that Russia legalised to enable the import of goods without the brand owners’ permission, Russians have been keen to get their hands on Apple’s devices.
MacDailyNews Take: Если это не iPhone, то это не iPhone.
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What happened to sanctions against Russia? Why is Apple doing ANY business in Russia?!?!
Who said it does?
apple should be required to block all russian ip addresses. yes russians could use a vpn but apple would still have there real ip since vpn’s leak really bad on iphone compared to other brands. basically a lot of apple only services bypass the vpn for some reason. sanctions on russia should require this so there phones could not receive updates or other apple services. other companies should do same but it might be less effective since vpns work better on non apple devices. heck there’s not many choices in russia for good vpns since russia has been blocking a lot of them in various ways.
The rise in Russian government purchases of Apple iPhones could be attributed to several factors, such as a need for secure communication, the popularity of Apple devices, or efforts to modernize technology within government departments. Despite sanctions and restrictions, demand for high-quality electronics remains strong. This trend might also reflect broader geopolitical strategies or efforts to maintain functionality in government operations. Would you like more details on this topic?