Εισαγωγικό κείμενο
- 27 Apr 2023
- international
The Kremlin has ordered officials involved in preparations for Russia's 2024 presidential election to use Apple iPhones over concerns that the devices are vulnerable to Western intelligence services, Russian business newspaper Kommersant reported on Monday.
At a seminar organized by the Kremlin for officials dealing with domestic policy, Sergei Kiriyenko, first deputy head of the presidential administration, told officials to change their phones by April 1, Kommersant reported, according to Reuters.
"It's all over for the iPhone: either throw it away or give it to the kids," Kommersant wrote, according to one of the participants in the meeting. "Everyone should do it by March."
The Kremlin may provide other devices with different operating systems to replace iPhones, Kommersant reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he could not confirm the report, but stressed that smartphones cannot be used for official purposes anyway.
"Smartphones should not be used for official business," Peskov told reporters. “Every smartphone has a fairly transparent mechanism, regardless of the operating system it has – Android or iOS. Of course, they are not used for official purposes."
President Vladimir Putin has always said he does not have a smartphone, although Mr Peskov said Mr Putin does use the Internet from time to time.
