Since April 1st, Russian users have been unable to make new purchases or subscriptions through Apple services. This appears to be due to an order from the Russian government.
Apple has suspended payment processing for the App Store and numerous other services in Russia. This further tightens the company's already existing restrictions in the Russian market – more than four years after the initial sales ban on all Apple products in Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war.
Apple in Russia: What's changing
According to a new Apple support document, as of April 1, 2026, new purchases, in-app purchases, and subscription renewals will no longer be possible—unless a user still has existing credit on their Apple account. This credit can still be used.
The change affects a wide range of services: App Store, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness+, Apple TV, Apple One, Apple Podcasts subscriptions, iCloud+, iTunes Store, and ringtone purchases. Apple clarifies that previously purchased apps and content will remain available, and iCloud data will still be accessible even after an iCloud+ subscription ends.
Background: Russian Government as the trigger
The move reportedly stems from an order by the Russian government. Moscow's aim is to put pressure on Apple: the lost revenue from its services business is intended to incentivize the company to make certain popular Russian apps available again in the App Store. These apps had previously been removed due to Western sanctions related to the war in Ukraine.
The logic behind this is that if Apple suffers financial damage from the loss of service revenue, it might be more willing to reinstate the sanctioned apps. Apple has not yet commented on this.
A gradual escalation since 2022
The shutdown of payment processing is the latest step in a long series of restrictions. Back in March 2022, in response to the outbreak of war, Apple halted all product sales in Russia, restricted Apple Pay, and removed the Russian state media outlets RT News and Sputnik News from the App Store.
Since then, Russia has taken its own measures against Apple, including blocking FaceTime and restricting iCloud services. The now-deactivated payment function represents a further escalation – this time, however, apparently at the behest of the Russian side, not at Apple's initiative.
Impact on Apple users in Russia
For the remaining Apple users in Russia, the change means that access to digital content and services will be severely restricted. Existing subscriptions will expire without renewal. New apps and games can only be purchased using existing Apple credit. In the long term, this is likely to further reduce the attractiveness of the Apple ecosystem in Russia – an effect that has already been clearly noticeable since the sales ban in 2022. (Image: Shutterstock / BigTunaOnline)
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