MOSCOW, November 17. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he still uses an iPhone but explained this is a buyer beware situation.
"Some people [in the Russian presidential administration] use an iPhone, while others no longer do. I remain an iPhone user," Peskov acknowledged in an interview with the student news channel MGIMO 360.
Commenting on Russians criticizing "anything Western," the Russian presidential spokesman said that "always seeking the best is probably the best thing to do." "For, you must agree that the iPhone is a great invention. And the operating system, iOS (developed by Apple Inc. - TASS), is technology that we haven’t been able to rival so far here in Russia," Peskov said.
"But we should remember that this system is perfect for them (the United States - TASS) and not for us, as there are security concerns, what we call data confidentiality," he emphasized.
In early June, Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that, together with the Federal Security Guard Service, it had uncovered a US intelligence campaign, which was conducted by way of malware on Apple mobile devices. Ever since, a number of Russian ministries and federal agencies have forbidden the use of iPhones for business purposes. The latest such move came from Russian truck maker Kamaz which banned its staff from using Apple devices in late August.
MGIMO 360 is a student news channel at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). The channel covers various youth events at MGIMO and beyond, creates entertainment content on various topics, and publishes interviews. Since May 2021, the channel's correspondents have been covering the working visits of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as part of the Russian Foreign Ministry's pool of reporters.