Russia slashes parallel imports — Acer, Asus, HP, Intel and other major brands are now under restrictions

Since May 27, Russia has reduced the list of goods allowed for import under parallel imports. More than 30 product categories have been removed from the list — primarily electronics and components.

The restrictions affect computers, components, and peripherals.

Main IT brands:

• Acer
• Asus
• HP
• Intel
• Samsung
• Kingston Technology
• SanDisk
• Toshiba
• Cisco
• Fujitsu
• IBM
• Hitachi
• SK Hynix
• Transcend Information

Additionally, the following categories were also restricted:

• Braun (electric shavers)
• Biorepair and Oral-B (oral care products)
• Ricoh (printing equipment)

Parallel imports are being phased out: the Russian market may lose familiar brands

Importers will no longer be able to legally bring in these goods through third countries without the rights holder’s permission. Previously, parallel imports were a key mechanism for supplying brands that officially left the Russian market.

The new restrictions mean:

• reduced availability of devices
• growth of alternative supply channels
• increased market closure

In practice, this significantly narrows access to global IT hardware.

What this means for Ukraine and CIS markets

For brands

Companies such as Acer, Asus, and HP gain greater control over distribution and reduce volumes of unofficial shipments. At the same time, their presence in Russia is decreasing.

For buyers in Ukraine

For Ukraine, this situation is generally positive, as part of global supply chains may be redirected to other markets, including Ukraine in particular.

For post-Soviet countries

For other CIS countries, especially those bordering Russia, the impact may be more noticeable:

• the role of local distributors will increase
• part of grey imports may shift to these markets
• price and availability fluctuations are possible
• there may be opportunities for higher margins

For users in Russia

For Russian users, the situation becomes significantly more difficult. This primarily means reduced choice and higher prices for restricted brands: familiar laptop models, components, and peripherals will become harder to find, especially new and high-end ones. Supply chains via third countries will become more complicated, pushing the market further toward unofficial channels. This increases variation in quality, delivery times, and service conditions, as well as the risk of purchasing devices without proper support or compatibility. Official warranty was already limited, and now the situation will worsen further.

For post-Soviet countries

For other former CIS countries, especially those directly bordering Russia, the consequences may be more interesting:

• the role of local distributors will strengthen
• part of grey imports may shift to these markets
• price and availability fluctuations are possible
• there may be opportunities for higher profits

How competition will change in the Russian market

After these restrictions, the market structure may significantly transform.

First, Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, and Realme will strengthen their positions, as they are not affected or already operate through alternative channels.

Second, some global brands not affected by the current changes will remain, including Apple and key component manufacturers like NVIDIA and AMD.

Third, the role of local suppliers and assemblers will increase, along with companies working through alternative logistics channels.

As a result, the Russian market will increasingly shift toward:

• Chinese brands
• a limited number of Western products
• grey/black imports