MOSCOW

Russia's Digital Development Ministry has discussed with mobile operators the possibility of temporarily suspending payment for Apple services via mobile phone balances, as a measure to compel the American company to return Russian applications to the App Store, according to local media.

The consultations took place on March 28, state news agency Tass reported, citing a government source.

Separately, news agency RBC said iPhone owners will no longer be able to top up their Apple ID balance via mobile accounts starting April 1. "The Big Four (main Russian mobile operators) have received instructions from the Digital Development Ministry to disable this option," RBC said, citing sources, adding that the stated reason was the need to prevent payment for VPN services.

The option to pay for subscriptions and purchases in the Apple ecosystem directly via mobile account is currently available from MTS and Beeline. For the other two operators, T2 and MegaFon, such payment is available through partners.

Some Russian apps are unavailable in the App Store for two main reasons. Apple removes apps at the request of Russian authorities if they contain content deemed illegal in the country, which often affects VPN services. Under US sanctions pressure, the company has also removed apps from many Russian banks and payment services to comply with American restrictions.