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Russia warns Apple of $52 million fine over alleged bias against local apps

By Thomson Reuters Jul 1, 2026 | 11:47 AM

MOSCOW, July 1 (Reuters) – Russia’s anti-monopoly watchdog has ​issued a warning ‌to iPhone maker Apple, urging the company to address ‌what ​it ⁠described as discriminatory ⁠practices against Russian search engines and software.

The Federal ​Antimonopoly Service said Apple must ⁠ensure ⁠Russian software, including ​search engines and ​messenger Max, is pre-installed ‌on its devices.

If the company fails to ⁠remedy the violations by July 15, it ⁠could ‌face a ⁠fine of up ​to ‌4 billion ​roubles ($51.6 million).

($1 = ⁠77.4955 roubles)

(Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova;Writing by Maxim Rodionov; Editing by Emelia ​Sithole-Matarise)