An ambiguous report from Russia suggests that users may no longer be able to purchase apps and services from the App Store or iTunes store. Users in Russia are reporting that they are no longer able to add funds to their App Store or iTunes store accounts, according to local Apple product enthusiast site iPhones.ru. Banks including Sber and Tinkoff appear to have turned off the feature.
Users are also reportedly unable to purchase Apple gift cards to top up their store balances. Given that PayPal has suspended operations in Russia, this should mean that the only way to pay for the app is through a mobile account, though users have reported problems with even paying their mobile account balance.
Russian banks have so far not commented on the change. It was unclear whether the issue was a temporary glitch, or restrictions imposed by Apple, the Russian government or banks, which had earlier suspended App Store search ads in the country, as well as all online hardware sales.