Russia saw a 22% fall in laptop sales in July compared to the same month last year, Kommersant newspaper reported Thursday, amid the exit of Western brands over the war in Ukraine and an economic slowdown. A total of 222,000 laptops valued at 13.1 billion rubles ($217 million) were sold in Russia in July, Kommersant reported Thursday citing an unnamed source in the consumer electronics industry. While sales of laptops produced by Western manufacturers declined, the figures reported by Kommersant showed that, at the same time, Chinese companies were increasing their market share. Major Russian consumer electronics retailer MTS recorded Chinese brands Honor and Huawei doubling their market share last month, according to Kommersant.In contrast, HP, a U.S.

computer maker that shut down its business in Russia in opposition to the invasion of Ukraine, saw its share of the market drop to 21% in July — compared to 26% in July 2021.The market share of another U.S.

manufacturer, Apple, tumbled from 8% in July last year to 3% last month.U.S.

laptop sales will continue falling in Russia in the near-term and will be replaced by Chinese and Russian brands, IT industry experts told Kommersant.Russia’s laptop sales are expected to recover in August after a traditional summer slump, but declining purchasing power will likely keep the sales figures below 2021 levels, the experts added.