From PlayStation to Drone Operation: Why EU Is Moving to Ban Game Consoles in Russia

The European Union is planning to ban video game console sales to Russia to prevent their use in controlling drones deployed in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported, citing EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on January 28.

Kallas stated that the ban would target products like Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox as part of a new sanctions package timed to coincide with the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

“We are really looking into all the types of things that help Russia to wage this war to put them on the sanctions list,” Kallas told reporters. “Even the consoles for video games, because apparently these are the ones that they operate drones with.”

Since the imposition of Western sanctions, Russia has had to improvise, turning to unconventional sources for military technology. According to Western and Ukrainian intelligence, Moscow used basic semiconductors from refrigerators and home appliances in its missiles and drones.

Although the world’s three largest gaming console manufacturers — Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo — suspended sales in Russia in early March 2022, the proposed EU ban aims to cut off supplies from traders within the bloc, including those dealing in second-hand devices.

Earlier, reports emerged that Belarusian enterprise ‘Integral’ manufactures microchips for Russian missiles while circumventing Western sanctions by using equipment and chemical materials sourced from Europe.