Apple to pause product sales in Russia as tech firms feel pressure over Ukraine

Apple has said it will pause all product sales in Russia, heeding requests from Ukrainian officials to take action against the country in response to its invasion.

The company outlined a number of actions in response to the invasion, including stopping all exports into its sales channels in the country.

It added that Apple Pay and other services had been limited, and that Russian state media, RT News and Sputnik News, were no longer available for download from the Apple Store outside Russia.

The decision came days after Ukrainian officials called on the tech companies to take further action against Russia, urging them to restrict access to their services within the country, more forcefully curtail the spread of false information, and crack down on Russian state-backed outlets.

The decision comes as tech companies face increased scrutiny over their response to the ongoing conflict. With billions flocking to social media for news on the war and Russian state media using tech to disseminate its own messaging, concerns about mis- and disinformation are on the rise.

Neighboring countries have made similar requests, with the prime ministers of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia sending a joint letter to the chief executives of Google, Facebook and Twitter last week.