Apple caves in to demands to show Crimea as part of Russia

Apple's concession to Russian government demands follows on from its cave-in to China over apps used by Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters

Apple has caved in to Russian demands to show Crimea as part of Russia on its Maps and Weather apps.

"Today, with Apple, the situation is closed - we have received everything we wanted," said Vasily Piskarev, the head of the State Duma (lower house of the Russian parliament) Committee on Security and Corruption Control, according to BBC News.

"Crimea and Sevastopol now appear on Apple devices as Russian territory," he added.

Ukraine has criticised Apple's decision, saying it did not "give a damn" about its pain. "Let me explain in your terms, Apple," Ukraine's foreign minister, Vadym Prystaiko, wrote on Twitter.

"Imagine you're crying out that your design and ideas, years of work and piece of your heart are stolen by your worst enemy, but then somebody ignorant doesn't give a damn about your pain.

"That's how it feels when you call Crimea a Russian land."

Crimea lies on the north side of the Black Sea and has a largely Russian-speaking population. In 2014, Russia annexed the peninsula from Ukraine and brought it under its own control following a confirmatory referendum.

The international community claim that Russia instigated the unrest in Crimea by arming separatists and sending in special forces under cover, in order to provide justification for invasion and annexation.

Following annexation of Crimea, a separate conflict started in Luhansk and Donetsk, where Russian separatists demanded separation from Ukrainian state. Again, the international community claims that the separatists have been materially supported by Russia.

These conflicts have led to the deaths of more than 13,000 people in the region in recent years.

Apple was discussing the issue with Russia for several months, and was hoping to fudge it by leaving Crimea as an undefined territory. However, Russia insisted that Apple showing Crimea as part of Ukraine would amount to a criminal offence under Russian law.

Apple's decision to label Crimea as a Russian territory is the latest example of the tech giant kneeling down to foreign governments' demands to keep doing business in those countries.

Last month, Apple faced intense criticism for conceding to China's demands and removing the Taiwanese flag emoji from the iOS keyboard in the semiautonomous city.

The company also blocked two apps that helped pro-Democracy protesters in Hong Kong. Both moves were seen as an effort to appease the government in China, where Apple sells products worth billions of dollars.