A Russian law firm announced that it would file a class-action suit on behalf of Russians. The law firm argued that the shutting down of Apple Pay in the country had caused intentional moral damage.
Russian Law Firm to Sue Apple
Users of Russian banks that were subjected to sanctions by the United States and other countries have been unable to use Apple Pay since February.
Apple then later shut down a loophole that had allowed the users to use it through gift cards, according to 9to5Mac continuously.
According to Republic World, a firm of lawyers in Russia announced on Apr. 21 that they are to sue Apple over the removal of Apple Pay. It is not yet clear whether the firm of Chernyshov, Lukoyanov, and Partners or CLP has filed the lawsuit yet.
Senior partner Konstantin Lukoyanov has told the TASS news agency that its case would be based on how The unilateral and unjustified closure has violated Russian peoples' rights.
Lukoyanov says that Apple's decision must be regarded as international moral damage to Russians.
The firm is inviting anyone who believes that their rights were violated by Apple shutting down access to Apple Pay to join them in the lawsuit.
It is also not clear either what type of reparation the company wants or what its chance of a successful class-action lawsuit could be.
While the Russian firm might regard the move as unjustified, it can't argue that it is unilateral since Apple was required to close Apple Pay as part of sanctions out of its control.
Apple's Shutting Down of Apple Pay
Apple Pay service in Russia was suspended in February as part of the sanctions against five Russian banks. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Union or EU and the US government imposed economic sanctions on the country, including restricting foreign transactions to Russian banks.
As a result, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and other digital wallets have been suspended.
The affected banks are Sovcombank, VTB Group, Novikombank, Otkritie, and Promsvyazbank. The Central Bank of Russia notes that cards issued by these five banks no longer work with Google Pay or Apple Pay, as both platforms are considered as US-based.
Shortly afterward, Apple stopped all sales in Russia's online Apple Store and ceased supplying all Apple products to resellers in Russia, according to CNN.
The tech company said in a statement that it is concerned about the Russian invasion and that in response, Apple has paused all of its product sales in the country.
Apple also disabled both traffic and live incidents in Apple Maps in Ukraine as a safety and precautionary measure for the citizens.
Apple's decision comes as tech companies have faced public pressure to act against Russia.
The Ukrainian government had asked the tech company to stop offering its app store in Russia, but some security and democracy experts said that it could harm the Russian users who are protesting against the war and are relying on Western platforms.
Related Article: Russia Blocks Facebook, Twitter, App Store Access: Report
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Written by Sophie Webster
