Keyboards rely on a specific layout in many countries. And this could now become a problem in Russia. Because officially, keyboards can no longer be imported into the country.
Western sanctions have been imposed on Russia due to the Ukraine conflict. In response, Russia has enacted counter-sanctions. Since then, certain products and goods from abroad can no longer be imported into Russia (via capital.de).
However, this ban is now being felt. In Russia, you need a Russian layout if you want to work or play sensibly on a PC. And that is slowly but surely becoming more difficult.
There are fewer and fewer keyboards with a Russian layout
What exactly is the problem? Officially, as a Russian company, you are no longer allowed to import goods from the USA or Europe into Russia. However, there is an exception on how to purchase goods outside of Russia in a limited way.
A Russian company may only buy goods from dealers in countries where the company itself is still active. Thus, a Russian dealer can buy keyboards in Serbia or China and import them to Russia.
But here lies a problem: The devices and keyboards are tailored to the users of the country, and in the worst case, you might end up with keyboards that have a Serbian or Chinese layout.
Russian gamers are affected by the restrictions, as games are shutting down their servers in Russia:
Why is this a problem? The contracts that Russian government agencies have made with their employees stipulate that everyone receives a workplace with a keyboard with a familiar Russian layout.
However, if millions of keyboards are imported into Russia through indirect means and they have the wrong layout, it is misleading for many people and severely hinders work. PCGamer explains that experts suspect that by the end of 2022, more than 10% of all keyboards will lack a Russian layout. And this trend is likely to intensify further.
– Ukraine Live Blog (via Zeit)
– War in Ukraine: Belarusian troops reportedly march into Ukraine (via nzz)
– Solidarity with Ukraine (via auswärtiges-amt)
Important Note: If you are plagued by dark thoughts due to the current situation: You are not alone. Please seek help. For example, from the telephone counseling service at 0800/111 0 111 or the online counseling, where you can also use a chat. This is free and applies nationwide.
With tricks, one tries to circumvent the layout problem
What is a solution? A pragmatic solution currently is to simply convert the wrong layout into the correct layout with a laser engraving. This way, Serbian or Turkish characters quickly become the correct letters.
Also, major developers and publishers no longer sell their software in Russia. Now the government is considering whether to legalize piracy.
Russia is considering legalizing piracy – After tech giants boycott them
