Russia closes loophole to fully block payments for Apple services

Apple will stop processing payments for App Store and other Apple Media Services purchases in Russia starting April 1, 2026.

Apple says the change applies to all Apple services.

iCloud+ subscribers' data will remain accessible after subscriptions end, even if premium cloud storage is lost.

Customers will still have access to previous purchases, and existing Apple Account funds remain available until they are exhausted.

RBC reported officials said the move was meant to block payments for VPN apps; Reuters said Russia has stepped up a 'great crackdown' on online information and speech and reported a 70% increase in VPN app blocks by mid‑January.