Chinese game consoles suspected of being used to create Russian military equipment

In the midst of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine, Japan's NHK (thanks Resetera) now notes that China has suddenly started exporting large quantities of game consoles and accessories to Russia. Compared to when Russia started the full-scale invasion in 2022, the amount increased sevenfold last year.

But the question is whether the increasingly poor and economically strained Russians have become extra keen on gaming recently or whether something else is behind the increased interest. According to Olena Bilousova, a researcher at the Kyiv School of Economics Institute and an expert on Russian sanctions, this is doubtful:

"It is hard to believe that civilian demand for game consoles has suddenly surged in Russia, where the economy is under strain. It is highly likely that controllers imported from China are being repurposed to operate drones."

She goes on to explain how China is circumventing existing sanctions (even if they deny it themselves) and thus enabling Russia to build lots of drones for its warfare:

"China allows direct imports without the additional costs typically incurred when circumventing sanctions. China's ties with Russia are enabling Moscow to procure controllers and similar devices quickly and cheaply."

Unfortunately, the use of gaming equipment for warfare is not unheard of and in 2000 it was reported that Iraq had purchased 1,400 PlayStation 2 units to use the components for guiding missiles. Video games should be used for entertainment, not tools for murder, and we hope that this attention will lead to greater scrutiny.