Apple pay will no longer support the Russian card payment system Mir closing a loophole that let Russians continue to use the service amid economic sanctions put on the country, according to a report from Reuters. Apple has informed NSPK that it is suspending support of Mir cards in the payment service Apple pay a translated announcement on the Mir site reads. Since March 24 uploading new Mir cards to the service has been unobtainable. The agency also notes any Mir cards previously added to Apple pay will stop working over the next few days. Apple pays first added support for Mir cards last year. According to the Guardian Mir is owned by the central bank of Russia and was established in response to the economic sanctions put on Russia after it annexed Crimea in 2014. Statistics from the central bank say Mir cards make up around 32 percent of all latest cards issued in the country. Google is also taking steps to cut ties with Mir the WSJ report. The agency reportedly pause a pilot program that began last October that let users connect their Mir cards to Google pay. Google pay is pausing payments-related services in Russia as a result of payment services disruption out of our control a Google spokesperson said in a statement. Many Russian users have been cut off from Apple pay and Google pay offers several countries that imposed financial sanctions on Russia’s major banks including the VTB group. Earlier this month Visa and master card suspended their operations in Russia blocking Russians from using their credit or debit cards outside the country or for international online payments.
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