Apple Inc. confirmed that it has halted all product sales in Russia following the country's invasion of Ukraine, saying it stands "with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence." The company had stopped exporting products into the country's sales channel last week, ahead of halting sales.

It is also removing RT News and Sputnik News applications from App Stores outside of Russia. It has disabled traffic and live-incident features in Ukraine as a “safety and precautionary measure” for citizens there.

Last week, a Ukrainian Government official urged Apple Inc. to block the Apple Store for citizens of the Russian Federation. Mykhailo Fedorov, Vice Prime Minister, wrote an open letter to Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc.

"We are sure that such actions will motivate youth and active population of Russia to proactively stop the disgraceful military aggression," Fedorov, who is also the Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, wrote.

The company did not comment further after Tim Cook tweeted last week, "I am deeply concerned with the situation in Ukraine. We are doing all we can for our teams there and will be supporting local humanitarian efforts."

After the company limited its services in Russia, Fedorov tweeted, "No more Apple product sales in Russia!"

Many global companies such as Google, Ford, Honda, and Exxon Mobil have also rebuked and rejected Russia for the invasion. Google has blocked mobile apps connected to RT and Sputnik from its Play store. Ford Motor — with three joint venture factories in Russia — said it was suspending operations in the country. Exxon Mobil also would discontinue operations in Russia. Honda has also suspended its automobile and motorcycle exports to Russia.

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