American iPhones from Apple have become one of the most popular smartphones for Russian government procurement. Purchases have increased fourfold compared to 2023, according to Vedomosti, citing a source at the Tenderplan trading platform.
According to their data, the fourfold increase occurred in the nine months of 2024 compared to January-September 2023: 6,879,899 rubles were spent on iPhones instead of 1,642,166 rubles. Top iPhone buyers included Teploenergo from St. Petersburg, Yugra TV company, IT-park technopark, and the State Kremlin Palace. Reasons for choosing American devices often include the availability of special programs, such as Voice Over for the blind and visually impaired.
In quantitative terms, Samsung smartphones were purchased the most, with government procurement reaching 41 million rubles. Chinese Realme and Xiaomi are also at the top of the popularity rating in government procurement.
It is noteworthy that the sharp increase in government procurement of "apples" occurs after major espionage scandals surrounding iPhones. In 2023, the FSB of Russia reported that a vulnerability was discovered in Apple phones, which US intelligence agencies use to monitor users. Several thousand devices with SIM cards registered to diplomatic missions and embassies in Russia were affected by the malware. Diplomats from NATO and post-Soviet countries, Israel, Syria, and China were also affected. The second major scandal surrounding Apple products in Russia in 2023 occurred at Kaspersky Lab. There, they discovered a technical attack on their corporate iPhones, which they called "Operation Triangulation."
Against this background, many Russian departments recommended that their employees not use iPhones for work purposes. In particular, such an unofficial ban, according to several sources, exists in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Some Kremlin employees followed the recommendations, and a number of officials, refused iPhones, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. But the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, as you know, has not yet been able to abandon the fashionable gadget.
At the same time, the Russian-language official Apple market has ceased operations since October 2023, supporting the increasing anti-Russian sanctions. The company has completely removed information about its products from the site. In Russian, you cannot read anything about new or old products: the client will be directed to the support service, and when trying to enter the store, they will be notified that it is closed.
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