(Reuters) - Russia's ministry of digital development has banned employees from using Apple iPhones and iPads for work purposes, Interfax news agency reported on Friday citing the minister, Maksut Shadaev.

"A ban is imposed on using (Apple) mobile devices - smartphones and tablets - to access work applications and work email exchange," he told reporters at a digital conference, the agency said.

"It's allowed to use iPhones for personal needs," Shadaev said.

The ministry issued the ban two months after claims by the Russian main domestic security service, the FSB, that several thousands Apple devices were compromised as a result of an espionage operation by the U.S.

Apple denied the allegations. The U.S. National Security Agency, which the FSB said cooperated with Apple, declined to comment on the claims at the time.

(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova; Editing by Marguerita Choy)