From Mykhailo Fedorov’s letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook - via Twitter
The Deputy Prime-Minister of Ukraine has called on Apple to suspend service to Russia. Ahead of worsening conditions over the weekend, The Verge on Friday spotted an open letter posted on Twitter from Ukraine’s Mykhailo Fedorov to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Quoting that:
The Russian Federation has carried out a deceptive and absolutely outrageous military attack on my country! Just imagine, in 2022, cruise missiles attack residential neighborhoods, kindergartens and hospitals in the heart of Europe.
The armed forces and citizens are defending Ukraine till the end! The whole world is repelling the aggressor through the imposition of sanctions - the enemy must suffer significant losses. But we need your support - in 2022, modern technology is perhaps the best answer to the tanks, multiple rocket launchers (hrad) and missiles.
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 democratie world from bloody authoritarian aggression - to stop supplying Apple services and products to the Russian Federation, including blocking access to App Store!
We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression.
Of course there is the problem of Apple’s offices there. And when I say “offices,” I mean “people.” A piece from 9 to 5 Mac highlights a report from the New York Times covering that issue. According to the piece:
Legal experts and civil society groups told the publication that this “so-called landing law makes the companies and their employees more vulnerable to Russia’s legal system and the demands of government censors.”
According to the New York Times:
The moves are part of a Russian pressure campaign against foreign technology companies. Using the prospect of fines, arrests and the blocking or slowing down of internet services, the authorities are pushing the companies to censor unfavorable material online while keeping pro-Kremlin media unfiltered.
So far, Apple seems to have said nothing about any of the goings on in Ukraine, save Tim Cook’s Tweet Thursday, pledging support for Apple’s teams in the region, pledging support for local humanitarian efforts, and “calling for peace.”
Apple Pay and Google Pay Offline in Russia
At least one Apple service has stopped working for Russia, though it wasn’t Apple’s doing. Engadget says US and EU sanctions have forced both Google Pay and Apple Pay offline in the country. According to the piece:
Following Western sanctions on Russia’s financial institutions in response to the invasion of Ukraine, customers of several of the country’s largest banks can no longer use their debit and credit cards in conjunction with Apple Pay and Google Pay. Among the affected organizations include VTB Group, Sovcombank, Novikombank, Promsvyazbank, and Otkritie FC Bank, according to a press release from the Central Bank of Russia spotted by Business Insider.