A Russian court fined Apple 400,000 roubles ($4,274) on Thursday for not deleting “inaccurate” content about what Moscow calls a “special military operation” in Ukraine, TASS reported.
The news agency highlighted that it was the first time Apple had been fined for that offense.
Apple halted all product sales in Russia shortly after Moscow started its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, and limited its Apple Pay service in Russia.
Moscow clashed with Big Tech for years over content, censorship, data, and local representation in disputes that escalated after Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine.
Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) previously revealed that Apple paid a 906-million-rouble fine in a Russian antitrust case alleging abuse of its dominance in the mobile apps market.
Apple, which did not comment then, appealed and “respectfully disagreed” with a FAS ruling that the distribution of apps through its iOS operating system gave its own products a competitive advantage.
