Monopoly board games disappear from Russian stores

Russian stores are out of Monopoly board games, reports state broadcaster RBC.

According to the outlet, the classic version of the game is no longer available in major retail outlet or specialty stores.

Journalists noted that in one chain of toy stores, Mosigra, the games have been out of stock since just after the New Year holiday, and no new deliveries are expected. Another store said that they’ve placed an order, but it’s unclear when it might be fulfilled.

The few stores that do have the games in stock have supplies left over from 2022. And some stores still have special editions of the game, like Monopoly USSR.

The games can also be ordered from online retailers, however, RBC notes, they’re often knock-offs or sold at inflated prices.

The American company Hasbro, which holds the copyright for Monopoly, stopped supplying to Russia shortly after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, as did Mattel, which makes Uno, among other games.

In March 2022, Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade included Hasbro and Mattel games on a list of parallel imports, meaning that Russia planned to acquire those companies’ products through third countries. Since the games require translation into Russian, however, the workaround isn’t functional, toy store Detsky Mir told RBC.