As Vladimir Putin announces an upcoming three-day “ceasefire” on the ground in Ukraine, the UK government has said that it will now implement a ban on the export of video game controllers to Russia, over concerns as to their potential use in the operation of combat drones. 

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced the new measure as part of a broader package of over 150 trade sanctions already in place, aimed at disrupting Russia’s military capabilities. 

“We’re banning outright video game controllers going to Russia, preventing them from being used to pilot drones on the frontline, meaning gaming consoles will no longer be repurposed to kill in Ukraine,” remarked foreign office minister Stephen Doughty. 

Critics have been quick to suggest the move as being little more than just a gesture: with the mass manufacture of controllers by gaming giants like Sony and Microsoft mostly undertaken in China, a stalwart Russian ally. 

“Russia can almost certainly manufacture its own game controllers to be used for drone attacks or, at the very least, demand that this happens,” surmised PC Gamer’s hardware writer Nick Evanson. “Whether the UK’s export ban has any meaningful impact is an entirely separate debate, but the inclusion (or rather, removal) of game controllers is one that means more people are likely to be aware of the ban now.”