Moscow said on Monday that Apple had paid the 906 million ruble ($12.1 million) fine that courts had imposed on the company after finding it had abused its market position.
In recent years, the Kremlin has cut off communication with Western tech behemoths that it sees as a threat to Moscow’s ability to regulate the flow of information among Russians.
Soon after the Kremlin sent soldiers to Ukraine in February of last year, Apple stopped selling its devices there.
Apple Paid $12 million Fine To Russia
“Apple paid a 906 million-ruble anti-trust fine,” Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) said, confirming authorities received the funds.
Kaspersky Lab, a cybersecurity company, that the United States classified as a danger to national security in March 2022, brought the case against Apple.
When Apple was about to release a comparable service, Kaspersky claimed in 2020 that Apple had banned access to its newly designed parental control software.
In a prior statement to AFP, Apple stated that it “respectfully disagreed” with the claim that it had abused its market position. The judgement was maintained by Russian courts despite the appeal.
In 2021, they implemented legislation mandating that all internet-connected devices sold there come with pre-approved software developed by Russian firms.
The contentious “anti-Apple” regulation was established in an effort to support Russian IT companies, but detractors claimed it was actually a move to increase government control over the internet.
The list of businesses included Kaspersky software.
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