Two years after Apple quit Russia over Ukraine, Vision Pros are for sale in Moscow

• Two years after Apple halted exports to Russia to protest the Ukraine invasion, the company's new Vision Pro goggles are for sale by a former official Apple reseller.
• The fact that the goggles are available in Moscow before they go on sale in London or Paris demonstrates how difficult it is to unravel Russia's ties to the global economy.
• At one location in Moscow, clerks offer by-appointment demonstrations and the cheapest model costs about $6,307 -- over 57 percent more than it does in the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Just one week after Russia launched its full-scale assault on Ukraine in 2022, Apple announced that it was stopping exports of its products into the country. "We are deeply concerned about the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stand with all of the people who are suffering as a result of the violence," the company said in a statement on March 1.

But now, days ahead of the two-year anniversary of the invasion, stores in Moscow are bustling with Apple products – and Russian customers are making appointments to see demonstrations of the brand-new Apple Vision Pro at shops located just blocks from the Kremlin. 

Russians aren't supposed to have access to the Vision Pro: The brand-new product, which was released on February 2 and available in Moscow just days later, is only officially available for sale inside the United States. 

Asked about Vision Pro sales in Russia, an Apple spokesperson told CNBC: "As you are aware, Apple Vision Pro is only available at Apple Retail stores in the US." 

But a CNBC survey of Russian websites and tech blogs as well as channel checks at stores in Moscow suggests that Apple's statement doesn't square with reality.  

The fact that customers in Moscow can buy the Vision Pro before people in