The Russians bypass the ban on the export of the new iPhone 16. The Kremlin fears surveillance programs
Apple refutes the Kremlin’s claims that the new iPhone 16 smartphones may be equipped with surveillance programs. Such a fear was voiced in Moscow against the background of the sale of a new smartphone model in violation of the export ban.
Retailers work around these restrictions. They give consumers the opportunity to pre-order phones, Reuters informs.
For Russians, it costs several hundred dollars more than iPhones cost in the US.
Kremlin officials have been ordered to stop using iPhones over fears that Western intelligence agencies have equipped them with surveillance software, Reuters reports.
The Russian brand M. Vider-Eldorado and the mobile operator MTS announced the presentation of new models from Apple.
In March 2022, Apple halted all sales of its products in Russia and suspended services such as ApplePay in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as Western sanctions restricting technology exports to Russia.
Foreign brands that have stopped exporting to Russia are now using indirect routes to reach customers – usually through countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia, according to Reuters.
