Several Russian companies, including mobile operator MTS, said on Thursday that they were the first to introduce Apple’s new iPhone 16 in Russia. This will happen, they say, very soon.
However, the Russians have to pay hundreds of dollars more for the device than users in the United States.
The group notes that foreign brands that have stopped exporting to Russia are now reaching Russian consumers, usually through countries that have not imposed sanctions against the Russian Federation. , such as Turkey, Kazakhstan, China, India and the United Arab Emirates.
Reuters was unable to determine which route the new iPhones would take to enter the country.
Western products and technologies are very popular in Russia. It is not possible to reduce this vulnerability by using domestic production in the Russian Federation.
The Kremlin has ordered officials to stop using iPhones, saying Western intelligence agencies had compromised them with surveillance software. Apple has denied these claims.
Apple exports to Russia
Apple suspended sales of its products in Russia in March 2022 and suspended services such as ApplePay in response to an attack on Ukraine. Western countries have introduced sanctions to limit technology exports to Russia.
