[ad_1]
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Russian authorities’s purchases of iPhones for January by way of September had been 4 occasions greater than the identical interval in 2023, the Vedomosti every day reported on Monday, regardless of sure officers being banned from utilizing Apple (NASDAQ:) gadgets.
Russia’s Federal Safety Service (FSB) stated in June 2023 that it had uncovered an American espionage operation that compromised hundreds of iPhones utilizing subtle surveillance software program, an allegation Apple denied.
The Kommersant newspaper final yr reported that the Kremlin had instructed officers concerned in preparations for Russia’s 2024 presidential election to cease utilizing iPhones due to considerations the gadgets are weak to Western intelligence companies.
Vedomosti, citing an unnamed consultant of the Tenderplan buying and selling platform, stated the worth of contracts involving iPhones for the primary three quarters of the yr amounted to six.9 million roubles ($71,469), up from 1.6 million roubles the yr earlier than.
Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the info. Russia’s digital ministry final yr banned workers from utilizing iPhones and iPads for work emails and functions. The ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
The newest iPhone 16 is on sale and in excessive demand in Russia, regardless of Apple halting exports to Russia over the battle in Ukraine.
Unfazed by greater costs and utilizing so-called gray or parallel imports that Russia legalised to allow the import of products with out the model house owners’ permission, Russians have been eager to get their fingers on Apple’s gadgets.
($1 = 96.5455 roubles)
[ad_2]
Supply hyperlink
