Asger Risom
Several Russian lawmakers say Apple has blocked their personal accounts, apparently because they are listed under U.S. sanctions.
Several members of Russia’s State Duma have reportedly had their Apple accounts blocked after the company enforced sanctions linked to U.S. restrictions.
Three lawmakers from the lower house of the Russian parliament told the newspaper Vedomosti — anonymously — that their personal Apple accounts were suddenly locked. One of them discovered the issue while attempting to pay for a subscription, while another received a spontaneous notification informing them that access had been blocked.
According to the report, the affected politicians appear to be individuals listed on U.S. sanctions lists.
Rogozin lashes out at Apple
So far, the only public figure to openly confirm the issue is Dmitry Rogozin, a Russian senator representing the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region.
Reacting to the block, Rogozin accused Apple of espionage and lashed out at the company in strong terms.
“Apple’s technology is pure espionage equipment,” he said, adding that if he had the power, he would impose sanctions himself “against the bastards at Apple.”
Sanctions and technical limitations
Apple has not commented directly on the specific cases but has previously stated that it is required to comply with applicable laws and sanctions regimes.
The situation may also be complicated by technical limitations. Dmitry Entin, head of development at EvApps, noted that Apple cannot directly access passport data from Russian telecom operators to precisely identify sanctioned individuals.
Because of that, account blocks may rely on matching personal data with sanctions lists, which raises the possibility of mistakenly blocking users who share the same name as sanctioned figures.
Russian officials still using Apple
The situation has also sparked criticism within Russia. Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev pointed out the apparent contradiction of Russian lawmakers criticizing Western companies while continuing to use their products.
“The products are quality, it’s hard to give up habits,” Kalachev said.
He suggested that the account blocks could push officials toward Android devices or Chinese alternatives such as Huawei and its own operating system.
Wider restrictions reported
Complaints from Russian users about Apple services have been growing in recent weeks. In mid-February, some users reported that they were unable to pay for App Store purchases or renew subscriptions.
Those affected appeared to be individuals whose personal data partially or fully matched people under sanctions.
Experts say sanctioned officials may still be able to bypass restrictions by creating accounts under different names or linking them to other countries.
Source: Digi24 / Vedomosti
