The Kremlin has ordered officials involved in preparations for next year’s Russian presidential election to stop using iPhones in light of fears that Western intelligence agencies could hack the devices, Russian newspaper “Kommersant” reported on Monday.

At a seminar organized by the Kremlin for officials involved in domestic politics, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources, that Sergei Krienko, the first deputy head of the presidential administration, ordered officials to replace their phones by April 1. .

One of the attendees was quoted as saying: “iPhones are over, throw them away or give them to your kids. Everyone has to replace their phones in March.”

Asked about the matter on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov could not confirm the report.

“Smartphones should not be used for official transactions,” he told reporters. “Any smartphone, regardless of its operating system, be it Android or iOS, is equipped with a very transparent mechanism. Of course, it is not used for official purposes.” .

The Kommersant newspaper reported that the Kremlin may replace iPhones with devices with different operating systems, and orders to stop using iPhones are being sent to those working on foreign policy under Kriyenko.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has often stated that he does not use a smartphone, but Beksov said that Putin occasionally uses the Internet.

Spies from Britain and the United States revealed Russian plans to attack Ukraine before military operations began. How this precise information was obtained is not yet known.