Why Are 'Monopoly' Board Games Disappearing From Russian Stores?

Russia is experiencing a shortage of "Monopoly" board games as a consequence of its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian state-run broadcaster RBC reported that major retailers and specialty stores in the country are out of the classic version of "Monopoly."

In Mosigra, a Russian chain of toy stores, the board game has been out of stock since the New Year holiday, and no new deliveries are expected, an RBC correspondent was told.

Another Russian store said it has already placed an order for new "Monopoly" board games. However, it's unclear when it might be fulfilled.

Some Russian toy stores only have leftover stock of the board game from 2022, while others still have supplies of "Monopoly's" special editions, such as "Monopoly USSR."

RBC noted that the board game can still be bought from online retailers, but they are often knock-off versions or sold at higher prices.

The dwindling stocks of "Monopoly" were due to the decision of Hasbro, the U.S.-based toy company that holds the copyright of the popular board game, to stop shipping its products to Russia after it launched its invasion of Ukraine.

In April of last year, Hasbro said its temporary cessation of operations in Russia could result in a roughly $100 million loss, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade included Hasbro on a list of parallel imports, which would allow Russia to acquire the toy company's products through third countries.

However, Russian toy store Detsky Mir told RBC that the workaround isn't functional since the board game must be translated into Russian.

Aside from Hasbro, other popular toymakers such as Mattel and Lego have stopped supplying Russia with their products due to the war in Ukraine.

Mattel, the maker of Barbie, "Uno" and Hot Wheels, paused its shipments to Russia and pledged to provide cash and toys to organizations helping Ukrainian children affected by the war.

"Mattel stands with the Ukrainian people and we are devastated and saddened by the impact the war is having on innocent children and families. We have paused all shipments into Russia and we continue to monitor the situation," the company said in a statement.

In July 2022, Lego, the world's largest toymaker, announced that it would "indefinitely" pause deliveries to its 81 stores in Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

Lego also ended the employment of its Russian employees and terminated its partnership with the Inventive Retail Group, which runs its Russian stores, according to The Guardian.

Russia also placed Mattel and Lego on a list of goods that could be imported through third countries.