Apple paid millions of dollars in fines in Russia. The money went to the Kremlin budget

The case has been dragging on since 2022, when the Russian antitrust agency FAS initiated proceedings against Apple regarding practices that were intended to provide the American company with a competitive advantage.

Reuters: Apple paid millions of dollars in fines to Russia. The money was supposed to have already been transferred to the budget

, on Monday, the Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) announced the enforcement of a fine of 1.2 billion Russian rubles ($13.6 million or PLN 54.8 million) from Apple for alleged monopoly practices committed by the American company in Russia . The technology giant was supposed to pay a fine of this amount last Friday, January 19. FAS also reported that the money had already been transferred to the budget of the Russian Federation.

According to the government institution, Apple allegedly forced iOS application producers to use payments within the company’s internal solutions and made it difficult for users to use alternative payment methods in applications bypassing the AppStore. Apple did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the matter.

Reuters notes that Russia has been pursuing foreign technology companies for several years for publishing content or activities that Moscow considers illegal. The practice intensified primarily in 2022 after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The agency also reminds that a year ago, in February 2023, FAS announced the enforcement of a fine from Apple in the amount of approximately USD 12.1 million in connection with another antitrust case.

The American company had to pay a fine, even though it has not offered iPhones in Russia for almost two years. Apple stopped the official sale of all its products in this country shortly after the military attack of Kremlin troops on Ukraine in February 2022. The company also restricted the operation of the Apple Pay service in Russia.