Apple’s iPhone purchases by Russian government grow despite security concerns – report

Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone purchases by the Russian government from January to September were four times higher compared to the same period a year ago, Reuters reported citing Russian daily Vedomosti, despite certain officials being banned from using the device.

Russia’s Federal Security Service said in June 2023 that it had uncovered a U.S. espionage operation which compromised thousands of iPhones using a complex surveillance software, an allegation Apple has denied, the report added.

The value of contracts related to the iPhones for the first three quarters of 2024 amounted to 6.9M roubles ($71,469), up from 1.6M roubles, a year earlier, Vedomosti noted citing a representative of the Tenderplan trading platform.

Last year, Russia’s digital ministry banned employees from using iPhones and iPads for work emails and applications, the report added.

Retailers in Russia had started pre-sales of the new iPhone 16 models in September, bypassing the U.S. giant’s export ban to Moscow, but the phones cost hundreds of dollars more than they do in the U.S.

Last year, Russia had told officials involved in preparations for the country’s 2024 presidential election to stop using iPhones because of concerns that the phones are vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, according to the newspaper Kommersant.

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