Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked Apple and Google to help prevent gambling game applications from being available in the nation's stores without an appropriate license as part of his strategy to make it more difficult for local troops to gamble.
It's prohibited to gamble in the country's military due to concerns that it undermines morale and poses a security risk in the fight against Russia's invasion.
The ban for soldiers includes betting in gambling establishments and on the internet while serving in the military, under a decree recently signed into law by Zelenskiy.
The edict was issued after an astonishing petition calling for the ban was filed by Ukrainian serviceman Pavlo Petrychenko. He complained that some soldiers on the front line were spending their earnings on betting, taking out loans, and even pawning military equipment — such as drones and thermal cameras — to cover gambling debts, Bloomberg reported.
Petrychenko's petition, which rapidly amassed the required 25,000 signatures for consideration to become law, also noted the risk of Russian online casino operators targeting customers with ads designed to secure access to private data from military personnel and civilians.
Petrychenko died on the front line on April 15 and was buried in Kyiv this week.
Ukrainian forces are grappling with morale issues stemming from shortages of ammunition and manpower, as the momentum of the war, now well into its third year, has shifted to Russia's advantage.
