Collapsing currency sees Apple shutter Russian web store

Volatility of rouble sees vendor halt sales while it reviews pricing

The "extreme fluctuations" of the volatile Russian rouble have led to Apple suspending online sales in the country.

The vendor's Russian web store currently houses a message telling users that "we'll be back" in a variety of different languages. In a statement, the company explained that it wishes to examine its pricing policy before resuming sales.

"Due to extreme fluctuations in the value of the rouble, our online store in Russia is currently unavailable while we review pricing," said the statement. "We apologise to customers for any inconvenience."

The vendor has reportedly raised the Russian price of some its products by 20 per cent and more in recent weeks in response to the plummeting worth of the country's currency.

The exchange rate of the rouble against the world's major currencies has fallen by as much as half in the last 12 months. Currently 100 roubles are worth €1.21 and $1.47. This compares with respective figures of €2.21 and $3.04 on this day last year, and €2.47 and $3.24 two years ago.