Ukraine asks Apple to block the App Store in Russia

Ukraine is asking for help from Apple. The country, cornered by Vladimir Putin’s troops, is asking the Californian giant to stop selling its products in Russia. Ukraine also wants the App Store to be blocked for Russian Internet users.

Shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the digital giants found themselves embroiled in the conflict. Accusing the social network of censorship, Russia announced its intention to limit access to Facebook on its territory. Moscow asks its citizens to turn to Russian social networks.

After Facebook, it is Apple’s turn to be involved against its will in the war initiated by Russia. In a post published on his Twitter account, Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, explains that he sent a letter to Tim CookCEO of Apple.

Read also: The price of Bitcoin plunges sharply because of the Russia / Ukraine war

Ukraine wants Apple to stop selling its products in Russia

In the letter, the Ukrainian politician asks Apple to stop selling their products (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, AirPods…) on the Russian market. “I appeal to you and I am sure that you will not only hear it, but that you will do everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe and, finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression: stop providing Apple services and products to the Russian Federation,” claims Mykhailo Fedorov.

Convinced that these measures will push “young people and the working population of Russia” to put an end to the conflict, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine also asks app store blocking, the iOS application store. Apple has not yet reacted to the request expressed by Mykhailo Fedorov. On Twitter, Tim Cook is content to call for peace and assures that Apple supports “local humanitarian efforts”.

Apple does not have physical stores in Russia. On the other hand, all the brand’s products can be ordered online on its website. Local brands also market Apple-branded devices on the Russian market. Note that Apple has also recently had a head office in Russia.

For memory, Apple already closed the Russian Apple Store in 2014. This exceptional closure had been decreed following the collapse of the course of the ruble, the national currency of Russia. The store was briefly inaccessible while Apple changed its prices.