The European Union banned the export of video game console accessories to Russia in this week’s latest sanctions package, which coincided with the three-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Russia is using joysticks and controllers to operate drones on the battlefield.
How is this video game gear getting through to Russia now? And what impacts could the new export ban have? Kharon sifted through two years of global shipments to Russia to investigate.
While Europe has been a minor exporter of console accessories to Russia, Kharon’s analysis found, the EU and U.S. have sanctioned several Russian importers of that equipment during the war. Other importers from the EU have material ties to sanctioned networks and to entities operating in the Russian aviation industry, highlighting the potential risk of items in EU supply chains being diverted and used for warfare operations.
The risks appear to be larger for European exporters than for European manufacturers.
Inside the shipments: For a targeted analysis, Kharon zoomed in on 10,900 shipments to Russia of items specifically categorized under HS Code 95045—a unique identifier that customs authorities use to classify products—which covers video games, consoles and controllers.
Shipments of video games alone were discarded from the analysis, which focused instead on products whose descriptions mentioned consoles and accessories, like joysticks and game pads, that could help operate drones and which fall under the EU’s ban. The shipments all occurred between February 2022 and April 2024.
Most of the reviewed exports to Russia under HS Code 95045, Kharon found, were from China, Hong Kong or the United Arab Emirates, with exporters in the EU making up less than 10%.
Notable: The Japanese brands Sony, Nintendo and Hori accounted for a majority of the console gear exported from the EU to Russia, according to Kharon’s analysis, despite the fact that Sony and Nintendo halted their console-related sales to Russia in March 2022. That suggests Russia is leveraging EU-based resellers to acquire products it cannot import directly.
Sanction ties: Kharon’s analysis shows that, among the Russian importers of HS Code 95045 products from the EU, at least 11 have material ties to networks involving sanctioned Russian parties. Of those, three have been sanctioned during the course of the war:
According to trade data, one of Mirochnik’s companies, Ekokomp OOO, imported video game controllers—including by Nintendo and Sony—from European entities between July 2022 and September 2023:
How is this video game gear getting through to Russia now? And what impacts could the new export ban have? Kharon sifted through two years of global shipments to Russia to investigate.
While Europe has been a minor exporter of console accessories to Russia, Kharon’s analysis found, the EU and U.S. have sanctioned several Russian importers of that equipment during the war. Other importers from the EU have material ties to sanctioned networks and to entities operating in the Russian aviation industry, highlighting the potential risk of items in EU supply chains being diverted and used for warfare operations.
The risks appear to be larger for European exporters than for European manufacturers.
Inside the shipments: For a targeted analysis, Kharon zoomed in on 10,900 shipments to Russia of items specifically categorized under HS Code 95045—a unique identifier that customs authorities use to classify products—which covers video games, consoles and controllers.
Shipments of video games alone were discarded from the analysis, which focused instead on products whose descriptions mentioned consoles and accessories, like joysticks and game pads, that could help operate drones and which fall under the EU’s ban. The shipments all occurred between February 2022 and April 2024.
Most of the reviewed exports to Russia under HS Code 95045, Kharon found, were from China, Hong Kong or the United Arab Emirates, with exporters in the EU making up less than 10%.
Notable: The Japanese brands Sony, Nintendo and Hori accounted for a majority of the console gear exported from the EU to Russia, according to Kharon’s analysis, despite the fact that Sony and Nintendo halted their console-related sales to Russia in March 2022. That suggests Russia is leveraging EU-based resellers to acquire products it cannot import directly.
Sanction ties: Kharon’s analysis shows that, among the Russian importers of HS Code 95045 products from the EU, at least 11 have material ties to networks involving sanctioned Russian parties. Of those, three have been sanctioned during the course of the war:
- The EU sanctioned Russian wholesaler Mayak OOO in December 2023 for its involvement in the import of EU-restricted goods. Those items included common high-priority items sought by Russia’s military, the sale of which is restricted by the EU, U.S., U.K. and Japan. Earlier in 2023, the company had imported 588 units of video game consoles and equipment from a European company that specializes in manufacturing joysticks and controllers.
- The U.S. Department of State designated the Russian company Mensor Grupp LLC in August 2024 for receiving shipments of products included in the common high-priority list. In 2022 and 2023, Mensor Grupp imported video game hardware from a European publisher that also produces gaming accessories.
- The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Trialkom OOO in September 2023 for being a Russian wholesaler of electronics, computers and software. In October 2022, Trialkom imported video game equipment from a European company whose products include computer equipment and driving simulation wheels.
According to trade data, one of Mirochnik’s companies, Ekokomp OOO, imported video game controllers—including by Nintendo and Sony—from European entities between July 2022 and September 2023:
Kharon users can explore this Insight in greater detail through the ClearView platform.
Most recently, Dzhi-Key Sistems OOO completed several contracts with the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IO RAN), which the U.S. sanctioned in 2022 for its involvement in the development of remotely operated and autonomous robotic tools.
The routes: Many of the HS Code 95045 shipments to Russia, Kharon found, did not go straight there. Instead, they were routed through intermediaries who, like freight-forwarding companies, facilitate transportation between the exporter and the importer and may be located elsewhere.
Singapore —a major transshipment hub—was the most common non-EU country that the video game gear passed through on its way to Russia. The EU has previously sanctioned intermediaries in third countries for assisting Russian companies in evading trade restrictions.
Takeaways: Because so much of the console gear that Russia imports comes from Asia, the EU ban may not significantly constrain access. But, to stay compliant, exporters of such equipment in the EU will need to scrutinize not only the end-users of their goods but also the companies involved in shipments throughout the supply chain. EU exporters of other dual-use goods will need to do the same.
Read more:
The routes: Many of the HS Code 95045 shipments to Russia, Kharon found, did not go straight there. Instead, they were routed through intermediaries who, like freight-forwarding companies, facilitate transportation between the exporter and the importer and may be located elsewhere.
Singapore —a major transshipment hub—was the most common non-EU country that the video game gear passed through on its way to Russia. The EU has previously sanctioned intermediaries in third countries for assisting Russian companies in evading trade restrictions.
Takeaways: Because so much of the console gear that Russia imports comes from Asia, the EU ban may not significantly constrain access. But, to stay compliant, exporters of such equipment in the EU will need to scrutinize not only the end-users of their goods but also the companies involved in shipments throughout the supply chain. EU exporters of other dual-use goods will need to do the same.
Read more:
