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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Apple Inc launched its Apple Pay software in Russia on Tuesday as the U.S. technology firm extends the global reach of its payment service.

Russia is the 10th country where Apple Pay has been made available, following the United States, Britain, Canada and others.

The service was first launched in 2014 and will initially operate in Russia with partners Sberbank and Mastercard.

To use Apple Pay, consumers tap their iPhone over payment terminals to buy coffee, train tickets and other services. It can be also used at vending machines that accept contactless payments. [nL4N18S2BV]