Both Apple and Samsung are being urged to stop shipping products to Russia in an effort to get Russians to oppose military action in Ukraine.
Mykhailo Fedorov, who serves as Ukraine’s vice prime minister and oversees digital operations, urged Apple to halt product sales in Russia and shut down its App Store in the country.
In Asia, Japanese politicians are also urging Samsung to do the same.
Russian customers at a number of banks can no longer use their bank cards with Google Pay and Apple Pay due to newly-imposed financial sanctions.
According to a press release from Russia’s Central Bank, affected financial institutions include VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie FC Bank.
While customers can still use bank cards from these institutions within Russia, they’ll no longer work abroad or when making online payments to stores and services belonging to countries that issued sanctions on Russia.
The sanctions imposed by the UU, The USA and Australia prohibit companies from selling products such as telecommunications equipment, lasers, sensors and chips to Russia. For Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, who sold chips worth US$73.5 million to Russia last year, the damage is inevitable unless they find an alternative market.
“All the chips in the market are based on designs by US companies, including those manufactured by Samsung Electronics and SK hynix,” a chip industry official said.
Both Companies have so far not commented on the push to make shipments of essential communication equiptment part of the sanctions being imposed on Russia.
One source told ChannelNews that if this happened they doubt that Chinese brands such as TCL, Oppo, Realme, Vivi and Xiaomi would stop shipping products into Russia.
The Ukrainian government made the official request in a letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook that he posted on Twitter.
Fedorov also said Apple should support the U.S. sanctions placed on Russia following the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I appeal to you and I am sure that you will not only hear, but also do everything possible to protect Ukraine, Europe, and, finally, the entire democratic world from bloody authoritarian aggression — to stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to App Store,” Fedorov said in the letter.
Officials claim that Russian military are using Apple Samsung and Xiaomi devices to communicate.
Apple currently operates an online store in Russia that sells iPhones, Macs, iPads, AirPods and other products directly to consumers.
Samsung has a major research and development operation in Russia via a business entity known as Samsung R&D Institute Russia. A key focus for the operation is artificial intelligence and optics technology, based on Russian scientific and engineering background.
It’s not known whether Samsung technology is being supplied to Russian Defence operations.
Apple currently sells software and services locally and operates a Russian version of the App Store.
The company recently added a feature to the iPhone’s software to highlight apps developed within Russia to users of its devices.
In his letter revealed by Bloomberg, Fedorov argues that cutting off access to Apple products could motivate young people in Russia to oppose military aggression.
The U.S. government recently adopted sanctions that would bar U.S. manufacturers from exporting certain goods to Russia, but so far, the rules don’t appear to prevent Apple from continuing sales in the country.
In recent months, the Cupertino, California-based company registered a business office in Russia and this month posted job listings for about half-a-dozen positions in Moscow. Apple declined to comment beyond a statement from Cook published on Twitter Thursday.
“I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine,” Cook said in the tweet. “We’re doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts. I am thinking of the people who are right now in harm’s way and joining all those calling for peace.”
