Russia's FAS antitrust agency said on Monday that the American tech giant Apple AAPLA fine of 1.2 billion rubles ($13.65 million) has been paid in Russia for allegedly abusing the company's dominant market position in in-app payments.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday, having previously "respectfully disagreed" with a Federal Antimonopoly Bureau ruling that Apple's practice of distributing apps through its iOS operating system gave its products a competitive advantage.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service said that Apple had paid the fine on January 19 and that the funds had been transferred to the budget of the Russian Federation.

In February 2023, the Federal Antitrust Office said it had paid about $12.1 million in fines to (link) in another antitrust case accusing Apple of abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market.

Russia has been at loggerheads with foreign tech companies for several years, particularly over content that Moscow deems illegal and its failure to store user data locally, with disputes fraught and intensified after Russia sent troops to Ukraine in February 2022.

Shortly after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine, Apple suspended all product sales in Russia and restricted Apple Pay services in Russia.

(1 USD = 87.8990 rubles)