Russian Exhibitors Barred from CES Over Ukraine Invasion - Newstbt.com

The world’s largest annual tech convention, CES, opened on Tuesday evening to the media and tech VIPs and to the public Thursday morning at the Las Vegas Convention Center, yet was closed to Russian exhibitors this year due to their country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

It was a matter of policy of the Consumer Technology Association.”

This week, the 2023 CES show began receiving its usual influx of visitors, yet without any exhibitors from Russia. According to the Consumer Technology Association, the organizers of the show, “several” Russian businesses had requested to participate, but were asked to relocate to another country exhibiting their products or services. In total, 3,000 companies have registered to appear. In an BBC Television interview, CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro expressed sorrow over Russia’s “tragic and illegal assault” on Ukraine, which started in February 2022. “Given the political situation,” he declared while wearing a Ukrainian flag lapel on his jacket, “We simply didn’t feel it appropriate to welcome them this year.” He added that the decision to not grant Russian exhibits entry was a “matter of policy of the Consumer Technology Association” and not one of US law.

With the ongoing tensions between the Russia and Ukraine, technology companies are taking a stand during CES 2023. Though there were no Russian companies exhibiting at last year’s show, four attended virtually. According to Jeff Shapiro, chairman and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which runs CES, there are “about a dozen” Ukrainian tech companies exhibiting on the convention floor. By expressing his support for these companies, Shapiro is trying to inspire others to do the same, stating “A lot of people from around the world want to support Ukraine. I know my wife actively seeks out products from Ukraine that she can order, and we have bought stuff from Ukraine directly.” As the largest tech show in North America, CES 2023 is slated to draw around 100,000 people before it closes on Sunday and is demonstrating how the industry is willing to fight its own Russian war.

Tech Industry Fighting its Own Russian War

A direct consequence of the invasion of Ukraine that is largely unknown to the public is the effect it has had on the technology sector. Last May, Russia – the foremost provider of noble gases – severely curtailed their export to countries hostile to them, as reported by Russian state news agency TASS. Noble gases – such as neon, argon, and helium – are essential inputs for the semiconductor industry in the crafting of the electronic chips used in contemporary internet-enabled devices. This step came at a particularly inconvenient time since the semiconductor sector was just starting to subsume the effects of the most comprehensive supply disruption in its history – which caused LMC Automotive to state that carmakers had manufactured 10 million fewer cars in the preceding year. The policy is believed to be an answer to the sanctions put forward against Russia by 30 nations, containing the US, Canada, and the European Union, and to the arms shipments made by the US to Ukraine, inclusive of drones and artillery shells.