Russia banned the iPhone to presidential employees and stated that phones using a different operating system should be preferred.
According to the reports in the Russian press, people working in the presidency were asked to replace their iPhone brand phones with phones of another brand running a different operating system.
The decision, which will cover the employees of the four departments headed by the state, will begin to be implemented at the beginning of next month.
The ban will apply to political officials in regional administrations, as well as officials in Moscow.
Kremlin will distribute new phones
The decision was taken for the 2024 elections
The ban decision that will apply to the employees of the Presidency; local policies, public projects, implementation of the State Council’s decisions, and the development of information and communication technologies.
It is said that the departments in question consist of employees who are expected to take an active part in the 2024 elections in Russia.
The Kremlin administration believes that iPhone phones pose a higher risk of spying than other brands.
One of the authorized names attending the meeting where the decision was taken stated that employees were advised to turn to phones using Android or Aurora operating system.
Declining interest in iPhones in Russia
Ending product supplies to Russia in 2022, Apple caused a decrease in interest in iPhones.
It has been noted that the iPhone demands of Russians, who can access iPhones thanks to parallel imports, have decreased by almost half compared to 2021.
