Apple Suspends Online Sales in Russia as the Ruble Plummets

Apple has suspended online sales in Russia, blaming extreme fluctuations in the value of the ruble.
Apple Inc.039s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Go On Sale
Female customers from Russia touch packaged iPhones during the sales launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones at the Apple Inc. store in Berlin, Germany, on Friday, Sept. 19, 2014. The devices generate more than half of Apple's annual $171 billion in revenue and precede a swath of other products, including new iPads and Apple Watch. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesKrisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Apple has suspended online sales in Russia, blaming extreme fluctuations in the value of the ruble.

As reported by Bloomberg, Russian sales represent a small percentage of Apple's overall sales. Only 1.57 million out of the 153.4 million iPhones it sold in 2013 were in Russia, according to an IDC report cited by Bloomberg. But the move indicates that Russia's ruble crisis is affecting companies across the globe.

The value of the ruble dropped by about 19 percent in about 24 hours on Monday, due largely to falling global oil and natural gas prices, as well as international sanctions against Russia.

The ruble has been in decline for months, but previously, Apple dealt with currency fluctuations in Russia in different ways. Last month, Bloomberg reports, the company hiked iPhone prices by 25 percent.

"Our online store in Russia is currently unavailable while we review pricing," Apple spokesperson Alan Helywrote wrote in an email statement sent to Bloomberg. "We apologize to customers for any inconvenience.”