Moscow manages to get them from other countries where there is no embargo on Apple
Pre-order demand in Russia for the new iPhone is 15% higher than for its previous model, a reseller told Reuters today, even though it is at least 50% more expensive than in the West.
OR Russia legalized so-called “grey” or “parallel” imports to allow products to enter the country without the permission of brands, after Western companies such as iPhone maker Apple imposed export bans in 2022 in response to the war in Ukraine.
Ludmila Semushina, a spokeswoman for the electronics retailer, said iPhones going on sale this month have arrived in Russia from “everywhere,” without naming specific countries.
Countries that have not imposed sanctions against Moscow, such as Turkey, China, India, Kazakhstan and other former Soviet republics, have seen a sharp increase in trade with Russia since the war in Ukraine began.
“Comparing last year’s pre-orders (demand) are 15% higher than those of the iPhone 15,” Semousina said.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request to comment on sales and pricing of the new model in Russia.
Pre-orders began on September 10 and in-store sales are expected to begin next week, APE BEE said.
Electronics retailer M.Video said prices will start at 112,999 rubles ($1,225) for the iPhone 16 128GB, more than $400 more than the $799 price tag in the US. The iPhone Pro Max 1TB is available for pre-order in Russia for 249,999 rubles ($2,710), compared to the $1,599 price it sells for in the US. .
When the big companies left Russia and the shift was made to parallel imports, Semushina said her company stopped making official calculations of the difference paid by Russian consumers.
“There is an official retailer price, there are prices from gray sellers – those who bring the goods in suitcases – so the prices vary,” she said.
Semushina said her company has had no contact with Apple since the war began. In addition to suspending all product sales in Russia in March 2022, the tech giant has also stopped services such as ApplePay.
