The European Union is considering banning video game console sales to Russia, aiming to prevent the army from using the controllers to fly drones in Ukraine.
On Monday, the European Council renewed economic sanctions on Russia in response to its continued invasion of Ukraine, extending them for six months until the end of July. Russia significantly escalated the countries’ ongoing conflict in 2022 when it launched a full-scale military assault on Ukraine. The invasion is currently still ongoing, with Russian president Vladimir Putin refusing to recognise Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“We really need to keep up the economic pressure on Russia [to stop the war] while also giving military support to Ukraine,” Kaja Kallas, Vice-President of the European Commission, said on Tuesday. “To strengthen Ukraine, so that the stronger they are on the battlefield, the stronger they are also behind the negotiation table.”
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Though some EU sanctions against Russia have been in place since the war began in 2014, they have multiplied significantly since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. They currently cover a wide range of areas, including restrictions on trade, energy, technology, transport, and even luxury goods.
Now, that list may soon be extended to video game consoles and controllers.
“We are really looking into all types of things that really help Russia to wage this war – to put them on the sanctions list,” said Kallas. “Even elements like the consoles for the video games, because apparently these are the ones that they operate the drones with. So, really being creative.”
It’s unclear exactly how video game consoles themselves might be used to operate drones. Some reports have suggested that Russia’s military has been reappropriating components from household electronics for use in weapons, though there is scant evidence that such practices are widespread.
However, video game controllers have long been used to operate electronics in non-recreational settings, steering everything from flying drones, to bomb disposal robots, to submarine masts. The ill-fated Titan submersible which imploded in 2023 was infamously controlled by a Logitech G F710 controller.
Even so, how much of an impact an EU ban on selling Russians video game consoles might have remains uncertain. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have already suspended sales in Russia since March 2022, cutting off the nation’s supply of Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch consoles in response to the invasion of Ukraine. Logitech also exited the Russian market in August that same year.
As such, a ban will likely be of more immediate consequence to the third-party console vendors in the EU. It also seems more likely to send a message than significantly slow Russia’s military efforts, as the country has increasingly relied upon China as a trade partner due to such long running and wide-ranging sanctions.
Last year, Putin ordered Russia’s government to look into developing its own domestic video game consoles. Unfortunately for Russian gamers, reports indicate that the two machines currently in development are underwhelming in comparison to the current-gen consoles they’re hoping to replace.
