Starting December 25, Russia’s Central Bank will ban the use of Apple products for official purposes. As per an order issued by bank head Elvira Nabiullina, employees will be prohibited from using Apple phones and tablets at work.
The Central Bank has not yet officially commented on this information.
Many Russian ministries and corporations have already announced a ban on Apple products. In the Kremlin, the use of iPhones for official purposes is also prohibited, as stated by Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
On June 1, 2023, Russia’s Federal Security Service said it had uncovered an “American intelligence espionage operation” to infect thousands of Russian iPhone users with viruses. In response, Apple stated that they have never collaborated with any government to put viruses in their products and do not plan to do so in the future.
Sign up for Meduza’s daily newsletter
A digest of Russia’s investigative reports and news analysis. If it matters, we summarize it.