The authorities russian have made the decision to consider the products of Manzana as a possible threat to government employees. As a result, the use of iPhones and iPads on official business has been banned due to concerns that the United States may be using these devices for espionage activities.
As of today, July 17, a ban has been implemented at the Russian Ministry of Trade, preventing employees from using iPhones for their work tasks. Other organizations, such as the state oil company Rostec, which was sanctioned, and the Ministry of Digital Development, also intend to implement similar bans or have already done so.
It is not the first time that the Russian government has banned the products of Manzana. In March, the Kremlin instructed staff involved in President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 re-election campaign to dispose of their iPhones by the end of the month, dDue to concerns that Western intelligence agencies may be using these devices for surveillance activities. Those who preferred not to throw away their expensive phones were advised to “give them to the kids.”
Last month, Russia’s Federal Security Service reported that several thousand iPhones in the country, including those belonging to diplomats, had been hacked in a spying campaign blamed on the United States.
The Russian group Kaspersky Lab, which has been repeatedly accused of collaborating with the Russian government, mentioned that the infections started via an iMessage attachment, which required no user interaction. However, stated that they did not have sufficient technical evidence to attribute the malware to a particular source.
Russia Bans Government Employees From Using Apple Products
The Russian Security Service provided no evidence, but said Apple had collaborated with US government hackers to help implant file-stealing malware on iPhones. For its part, Apple stated that it “has never collaborated with any government to create a backdoor into any Apple product, and never will.” However, Apple released iOS patches in response to Russia claims and recognized Kaspersky Lab for identifying several vulnerabilities.
Russia is looking to move away from Western technology and it wants to build a national mobile ecosystem based on “technologies from Western IT giants.” An example of this policy is Aurora, a Linux-based smartphone operating system developed by the Russian company Open Mobile Platform.
After the invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin issued a decree requiring organizations involved in critical infrastructure to switch to locally developed software by 2025.
Although Apple was one of many Western companies to reduce its presence in Russia last year, its products are still imported from other nations. Russian phone companies continue to sell iPhones, albeit at higher prices than usual.
Fountain: FT
