The Ministry of Digital Development is working on regulations that will oblige laptop sellers to pre-install domestic versions of Linux on imported mobile PCs. This was reported by Kommersant.
Currently, pre-installation of programs is the responsibility of the manufacturer (similar to smartphones), but if the regulations change, retailers will be required to install Russian software under the threat of product seizure.
Last year, the Ministry of Digital Development identified the most popular domestic Linux distributions: Astra Linux, Alt, and Red OS. The Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Electrical Household Appliances and Computer Equipment (RATEK), which includes major retailers such as DNS and M.Video-Eldorado, believes that this initiative will negatively affect the market and may lead to higher laptop prices.