Russia’s competition watchdog initiated proceedings against Apple for “price-setting coordination” related to the sale of iPhones in the country.

In a statement made to Reuters, the consumer electronics giant denied the claim, arguing that “resellers set their own prices for the Apple products they sell in Russia and around the world”.

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) said preliminary investigations indicated that since the start of sales of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, “the majority of resellers have fixed and maintained for a certain period of time the same prices for them”. It also identified similarities in the retail price of other Apple smartphones.

Some 16 iPhone 6s suppliers were named, including operators MTS, Beeline (VimpelCom) and MegaFon.

The FAS said that “such a coincidence” might be the result of the coordination of prices by Apple, and “setting the so-called ‘recommended’ prices as obligatory”. The investigation followed an inquiry by a citizen.