Russia Bans Use of iPhone by Officials: 'Throw it Away or Give it to the Children' [Report]

Russia has banned use of the iPhone by officials involved in preparations for the country's 2024 presidential election, reports the Kommersant newspaper via Reuters. The administration believes the device is vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies.

At a Kremlin-organised seminar for officials involved in domestic politics, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, told officials to change their phones by April 1, Kommersant said, citing unidentified sources.

"It's all over for the iPhone: either throw it away or give it to the children," Kommersant quoted one of the participants of the meeting as saying. "Everyone will have to do it in March."


When Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was questioned about the issue on Monday, he said he couldn't confirm the report.

"Smartphones should not be used for official business," Peskov told reporters. "Any smartphone has a fairly transparent mechanism, no matter what operating system it has – Android or iOS. Naturally, they are not used for official purposes."

Notably, over 80 percent of Russians approve of the activities of Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite his invasion of Ukraine. In March 2020, an amendment was proposed to the Constitution to reset the previous presidential terms of Putin, allowing him to stay as a president until 2036. The amendments were approved in an all-Russian voting with nearly 78 percent of Russians supporting them.

Apple stopped selling the iPhone to Russia last year, following the invasion of Ukraine. Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for more updates.