Apple Pays IDR 213.3 Billion Fines Related To Allegations Of Abuse Of Dominant Positions In Russia

American tech giant Apple paid a fine of 1.2 billion rubles (IDR 213.3 billion) to Russia for alleged abuse of its dominant position in terms of in-app payments. This was announced by the Russian antitrust agency, FAS, on Monday, January 22.

Apple, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, previously "respectfully disagreed" with the FAS' decision that Apple's app distribution through the iOS operating system provides a competitive advantage over its own products.

The Federal Antitrust Supervisory Agency said that Apple had paid a fine on January 19 and the funds had been transferred to Russia's federal budget. In February 2023, FAS stated that Apple had paid a fine of around 12.1 million US dollars (IDR 189.1 billion) in another antitrust case alleging abuse of its dominance in the mobile app market.

Russia has been at loggerheads with foreign technology companies over the past few years, particularly with regard to content deemed illegal and failure to store user data locally, in an increasingly heated dispute after Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

Apple halted all sales of its products in Russia as soon as the conflict in Ukraine began and restricted its Apple Pay service in Russia.