In early July 2026, the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia took decisive action against the American corporation Apple Inc. The regulator issued an official warning demanding the immediate elimination of preferences for foreign IT services within the iOS operating system. Failure to comply with these demands could result in a turnover-based fine of up to 4 billion rubles.

Two fronts of conflict: search engines and pre-installation

The Russian authority's claims are based on the norms of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" and focus on two key violations that, according to the FAS, create unequal conditions for domestic businesses.

The first area concerns access to search engines. On Apple devices (iPhone and iPad), a foreign search engine is integrated by default. To use Russian alternatives, including Yandex services, users must manually change the factory settings. The FAS classifies this practice as creating illegal preferences for foreign software, which contradicts Russian legislation requiring the default operation of Russian search engines on technically complex goods.

The second point of contention relates to the failure to comply with software pre-installation requirements. Specifically, this concerns the absence of the mandatory national marketplace, RuStore. An additional trigger for the investigation was the removal of the national messenger Max (developed by the IT holding VK) from the official App Store. The American side justified this action by the need to comply with international sanction regimes, but for the Russian regulator, this became grounds for an investigation into discrimination.

Deadlines and enforcement mechanisms

To eliminate the recorded signs of offenses, the FAS has set a strict deadline — until July 15, 2026. If the requirements are not met by this date, the department will initiate a full antimonopoly proceeding. Official representatives of Apple Inc. have not yet published comments, but in past disputes, the corporation cited security protocols and global sanction compliance.

The scenario for the development of events after the deadline is as follows:

  • Until July 15, 2026: Apple may fulfill the conditions of the warning, which will lead to the termination of the investigation.
  • After July 15, 2026: Initiation of a FAS case and conduct of an official investigation.
  • Upon conclusion of the review: Issuance of a decision and imposition of a turnover-based fine of up to 4 billion rubles (approximately $52 million).

How will the fine be collected?

Given that Apple has suspended direct sales of equipment in Russia, the mechanism for collecting funds has its own peculiarities. Within the framework of law enforcement practice, the compulsory enforcement of decisions against foreign IT giants is implemented through judicial mechanisms. This may include the arrest of local assets, the collection of funds from the bank accounts of local subsidiary legal entities, or the blocking of payments for digital services and subscriptions within the brand's ecosystem.

The legal basis for punishment is set out in Part 2 of Article 14.31 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. According to it, abuse of a dominant market position and restriction of competition entails the imposition of an administrative fine calculated based on the company's turnover.