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At a Kremlin-organised seminar for officials involved in domestic
politics, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential
administration, told officials to change their phones by April 1,
Kommersant said, citing unidentified sources.
"It's all over for the iPhone: either throw it away or give it to
the children," Kommersant quoted one of the participants of the
meeting as saying. "Everyone will have to do it in March."
When asked about the issue on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry
Peskov said he could not confirm the report.
"Smartphones should not be used for official business," Peskov told
reporters. "Any smartphone has a fairly transparent mechanism, no
matter what operating system it has – Android or iOS. Naturally,
they are not used for official purposes."
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Kremlin may provide other devices with different operating
systems to replace the iPhones, Kommersant said, adding that the
order to cease using iPhones had been directed at those involved in
domestic politics - for which Kiriyenko is responsible.
President Vladimir Putin has always said he has no smartphone,
though Peskov has said Putin does use the Internet from time to
time.
Shortly after Russia sent its troops into Ukraine last year, U.S.
and British spies claimed a scoop by uncovering - and going public
with - intelligence that Putin was planning to invade. It is unclear
how the spies obtained such intelligence.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and
Gareth Jones)
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