Russian Man Smashes iPad in Response to U.S. Sanctions in Viral Video

A video of a Russian man smashing an Apple iPad after the company said it would no longer sell its products in the country has gone viral online.

The 30-second clip shared by BBC employee Francis Scarr has been viewed more than 340,000 times since it was uploaded on Twitter on Wednesday.

In the clip, a Russian man is seen kneeling next to a young boy while holding a hammer in one hand and an Apple iPad in the other.

Within seconds the man places the iPad on the floor and smashes the screen repeatedly with the hammer. He then flipped the device over and proceeded to smash the back of it with the hammer before instructing the boy to do the same.

The man in the video said: "That's our response to your sanctions. We don't need your petty modern things, we can survive without them. Here, son, finish it off. I cut myself a little, but that's OK, we'll survive."

In his tweet, Scarr said the stunt was carried out due to "fallout" over Apple's decision not to sell its products in Russia.

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin's order to invade the neighboring country of Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies have issued unprecedented sanctions on the country and its leaders.

American brands, including Apple and Google, have either stopped selling their products or stopped hosting channels with connections to the Kremlin from being accessed in Europe.

According to Reuters, Apple said it had stopped selling iPhones and its other products in Russia. A statement obtained by the agency said: "We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all the people who are suffering as a result of the violence."

The tech giant also announced it would limit Apple Pay and halt the ability to download RT News outside of Russia.

Newsweek has contacted Apple for comment.

Following the invasion, the U.S. has explored ways it could seize the assets belonging to Putin and members of his inner circle.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) announced the proposed move that would indicate a considerable ramping up of measures against Russian officials.

In a tweet, Sen. Murphy added: "The U.S. and allies are coordinated to not only freeze the assets of Putin and his oligarch allies but to seize those assets as well.

"This is likely a further step than Putin's inner circle anticipated."

Little is known about the size of Putin's wealth, although Ander Aslund, author of the 2019 book, Russia's Crony Capitalism, claimed Putin had about $125 billion hidden in offshore havens, according to The New York Times.

Apple logo and Vladimir Putin
Split image of Apple logo and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The clip of the man smashing the Apple product went viral online. Getty

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Anders Anglesey is a U.S. News Reporter based in London, U.K., covering crime, politics, online extremism and trending stories. Anders ... Read more

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