Putin's Staff Ordered to Stop Using iPhones

• The Kremlin reportedly told Russian officials to stop using Apple iPhones due to security concerns.
• Officials using iPhones are to switch to new devices by April 1.
  
• Political scientist Nikolai Mironov was quoted as saying he believes the Kremlin enacted the iPhone ban "purely for security reasons."
  

The Kremlin reportedly ordered officials working for President Vladimir Putin to stop using Apple iPhones due to security concerns, according to a Russian newspaper.

Kommersant reported on Monday that presidential administration officials were told to discontinue using iPhones and switch to phones running on the Android operating system, the Russian Aurora system or Chinese software. Officials who work for Russian regional governments will also reportedly be affected by the ban.

Last March, soon after Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, the White House warned that Russia could engage in cyberattacks against the United States. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded a week later by saying the U.S. had already engaged in cyberwarfare on Russia's network systems, which the National Security Agency (NSA) denied and said it was part of the Kremlin's disinformation efforts.

Kommersant wrote that Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy chief of staff of the presidential executive office, made the order regarding iPhones during a Kremlin seminar for officials who work on domestic policy. The paper cited unidentified sources as saying Kiriyenko made the demand. Kremlin-run media outlets such at RT and Tass also ran Kommersant's report.

"It's all over for the iPhone: Either throw it away or give it to the children," Kommersant wrote that one of the seminar's participants said. "Everyone will have to do it in March."

According to the newspaper's sources, Kiriyenko said the officials using iPhones would have to switch to new phones by April 1.

"It is possible that the Presidential Administration will even purchase new secure phones for its employees to make it easier for them to abandon American technology," Kommersant wrote.

The newspaper also quoted political scientist Nikolai Mironov as saying he believes the Kremlin enacted the iPhone ban "purely for security reasons."

"After all, there is no mass rejection of 'unfriendly' brands, they continue to be used where it does not pose a threat of data leakage. So I don't see politics here, a purely pragmatic solution," Mironov was quoted as saying.

Kommersant's report came as Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Monday for his first visit to Russia since the war in Ukraine began. Xi has seen technology from his own country come under scrutiny for potential security concerns. TikTok has been threatened with a federal ban unless Chinese owner ByteDance sells its stake in the popular short video app, according to the company. The U.S, the U.K, Canada and the European Union have also announced TikTok restrictions on government devices.

In addition, Huawei, supplier of equipment used in 5G networks, recently announced it had replaced thousands of parts in its products after the company was subjected to U.S. trade sanctions. Since 2019, it has been the target of U.S. export controls, which have, among other restrictions, cut off its supply of chips and the parts needed to produce them from U.S. companies.

RT reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would neither confirm nor deny Kommersant's report. The outlet wrote that Peskov added in his comments to reporters that Russian officials are not allowed to use smartphones for work purposes due to such devices being too vulnerable to handle classified information.

Newsweek reached out to Apple and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.