Apple Fined £390K Over Russian Sanctions Breach Linked to App Store Payments

Apple’s Irish subsidiary faces a £390,000 fine after UK authorities found it made payments to a sanctioned Russian streaming platform in 2022, raising fresh concerns about how global companies track compliance across complex payment systems.

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation confirmed that Apple Distribution International sent two payments totaling more than £635,000 to Okko in June and July 2022, at a time when the platform fell under UK sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Authorities said Okko had ties to Sberbank, which the UK sanctioned in April 2022, and although the platform changed ownership weeks later, officials suspect the move aimed to avoid restrictions while continuing operations under a different structure.

The payments moved through UK banks, which placed them under UK jurisdiction, and although Apple relied on third-party affiliates for payment processing and sanctions checks, regulators made it clear that companies still carry full responsibility for compliance.

Apple’s response and disclosure

Apple confirmed that the issue came to light internally and that it reported the payments on its own, while regulators noted that no violation was attributed to Apple Inc. itself.

“We follow the laws in the countries where we operate and take sanctions compliance extremely seriously. After identifying two payments to a developer that days earlier had become affiliated with a sanctioned entity, we promptly and proactively reported our finding to the UK government. We are constantly working to enhance our already robust compliance protocols, which are consistent with industry standards.”
— Apple spokesperson

The case shows how even short delays in identifying a “sanctioned entity” can lead to financial penalties, especially when companies operate across multiple jurisdictions and rely on layered compliance systems.