Apple hikes prices again in Russia amid ruble slump

Apple fans and iPhone touts have to pay much more for the newest smartphones in Russia since Wednesday, as the dealer again hiked its prices amid the ruble's slump.

An iPhone 6 Plus with 16 GB storage costs 67,990 rubles (some $1, 100) on Wednesday, 21,000 rubles higher than that on Tuesday. For an iPhone 6 Plus with 64 GB storage, customers have to pay 75,990 rubles (1,200 dollars), a 23,000 rubles increase within a day.

Prices for other items, such as iPad mini and iPad Air 2, have also been lifted.

Earlier Wednesday, Apple's salesclerks in one of Moscow's Atrium shopping malls told Xinhua reporters they "don't have ( iPhone) 64 GB in stock today. All sold."

The ruble plummeted to historic lows Tuesday, with the euro briefly hitting 100 rubles and the dollar 80 rubles in Moscow trade. The Apple suspended its Russian website soon afterwards, as it did in late November, when the company raised an average of some 10,000 rubles for the newest iPhones.

So far, the website is still not available as the staff are " updating our Apple Store." No statements have yet been issued over the prices hike.

Russia's ruble has lost more than 50 percent of its value against the dollar and the euro since the start of the year, due to combined factors of falling oil prices and increasing Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine crisis.