In 2022, iPhone shipments from India to Russia surged, reaching 165,000 devices. This figure comes from a GS Group report cited by Vedomosti, highlighting a notable shift in supply routes for Apple products into the Russian market.
Between May and December 2022, a total of 165,000 iPhones were imported to Russia from India, more than doubling the 70,000 units exported during the same period in 2021. During this time, India accounted for 2.2% of Russia’s Apple product supply in 2021, while China remained the dominant supplier. The shift suggests a growing role for parallel imports in maintaining availability of Apple devices in the Russian market.
According to the same coverage, last year India contributed about 15% of all Apple products entering Russia via parallel imports. This trend underscores the influence of non-traditional channels on product access in Russia and the broader implications for pricing and market dynamics in the region.
On December 8, Kommersant reported, with data from retailers, that parallel imports helped iPhones stay a major revenue driver in Russia’s smartphone sector. In the first 11 months of 2022, roughly 21 million smartphones were sold, generating about 477 billion rubles in revenue, with Apple accounting for the largest share at 34% of those earnings. This pattern reflects how global supply frictions and distribution arrangements can shape consumer choices and market leadership in a constrained environment.
Earlier, Kommersant noted a growing presence of imports that carry features tied to other regions. For instance, shelves may feature iPhone models from Japan and Korea that cannot disable the camera shutter sound, illustrating how regional variations travel through parallel channels. Additionally, buyers in Russia were advised to consider models without a SIM card slot (with eSIM support available in the United States) or devices with two SIM slots (a typical Chinese variant). These nuances reveal how consumer preferences and regulatory differences intersect with cross-border procurement.
Previously, the Mobiletelephone portal, citing an unnamed source, reported that the Svyaznoy retailer began offering the new iPhone SE 2022 and the iPhone 14 models approved by Apple for the Russian market. The devices discussed were imported directly into Russia and not through parallel import channels, differentiating them from earlier shipments that skirted traditional distribution networks. This development signals ongoing adjustments in Apple’s distribution strategy within the country and reflects the broader push to align product availability with local demand while navigating import policies and market structure.