Russian government tells officials to stop using iPhones: report

The Kremlin told officials involved in preparations for the 2024 presidential election in Russia to stop using iPhones because of concerns that the devices of the apple vulnerable to Western intelligence agencies, reported the newspaper Kommersant.

At a seminar organized by the Kremlin for officials involved in domestic politics, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, told officials to change their phone numbers by April 1, Kommersant reported, citing unnamed sources.

“It’s all over for the iPhone: either throw it away or give it to the kids,” Kommersant said, quoting one of the meeting participants. “Everyone will have to do it in March.”

When asked about the matter on Monday, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskovsaid he could not confirm the report.

“Smartphones should not be used for official business,” Peskov told reporters. “Any smartphone has a very transparent mechanism, no matter what operating system it has – Android or iOS. Naturally, they are not used for official purposes.”

Apple has not commented on the matter.

The Kremlin may provide other devices with different operating systems to replace iPhones, Kommersant reported, adding that the order to cease using iPhones was addressed to those involved in domestic politics – for which Kiriyenko is responsible.

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has always said he doesn’t have a smartphone, although Peskov has said that Putin uses the internet from time to time.

Shortly after Russia sent its troops into Ukraine last year, US and British spies made public intelligence that Putin was planning to invade the neighboring country. It is not clear how the spies obtained such information.