The EU is considering including a ban on sales of gaming consoles to Russia as part of its forthcoming sanctions package against Moscow as its troops use them to control drones used in attacking Ukraine, EU officials said.
The ban would include gaming consoles such as Microsoft’s Xbox, Sony’s PlayStation and Japanese console maker Nintendo’s Switch, as well as joysticks and flight controllers – the ban would include both new and second-hand sales.
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The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas told reporters on Tuesday that the planned move aims to curb Russia’s battlefield capability, as part of the bloc’s sanction package planned to come into force on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We are really looking into all the types of things that help Russia to wage this war to put on the sanctions list.
“Even the consoles for video games, because apparently these are the ones that they operate drones with,” she said, according to the Financial Times (FT).
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all halted sales to Russia in early March 2022, but Moscow has turned to third countries, such as China, for gaming equipment supplies, the FT said.
The FT said China sold more than $120 million worth of gaming consoles and equipment to Russia in 2024 – a significant increase from less than $30 million in 2022 – citing data from Trade Data Monitor.
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The three producer companies did not respond to an FT request for comments.
Olena Bilousova, a military and dual-use goods expert at the Kyiv School of Economics, told the FT that the gaming equipment should “undoubtedly be banned” but doubted the impact of the proposed move, saying that Chinese-made controllers are readily available online.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military outlet Defense Express cast doubts on the EU’s proposed move, claiming that Russian drone operators often prefer portable gaming consoles such as the Steamdeck or the Asus ROG Ally, saying the EU should focus on banning those instead.
Sony-made components, particularly for its video cameras, have been found on Russian drones, according to a database maintained by Ukraine’s defense intelligence directorate (HUR). However, it is unclear if components from its gaming consoles have also been used to build the drones.
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