Russia has closed a loophole that allowed its citizens to pay for Apple digital services. “As of April 1, 2026, payment processing is no longer available for purchases made on the App Store or other Apple Media Services in Russia,” the company wrote in a support document (via 9to5Mac).
The change affects all Apple services. However, the company says iCloud+ subscribers’ data will remain available after their subscriptions end, even after losing premium cloud storage. Customers’ previous purchases will still be accessible, as will existing Apple Account funds until they run out.
Why is Russia doing this? Well, the (state-aligned) Russian news outlet RBC reported that government officials said it was to prevent users from paying for VPN apps. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that the country has stepped up its attack on the services as part of its “great crackdown” on online information and speech. By mid-January, it had reportedly blocked 70 percent more VPN apps than late last year.
With Russia’s war with Ukraine now in its fifth year, Putin’s regime apparently wants to shore up domestic support the way autocrats do: by limiting access to information. (VPNs allow Russians to circumvent the country’s strict online censorship.) The country’s crackdown has also included blocking WhatsApp, slowing down Telegram and repeatedly jamming mobile internet in Moscow.