【M.Video Marketplace Posts Record Seller Influx: 1,600+ Joined in Jul…

Update on the 30 August report that the summit was due to open: the summit formally opened and Putin met Xi Jinping on its margins. Putin said Russia is ready to make the visa-free regime permanent if Beijing deems it feasible and useful — visitor flows rose 43% in H1 thanks to visa-free travel. He added that cooperation with China spans the economy, energy, space and transport.

Meeting Indian PM Narendra Modi on the SCO sidelines. Modi argued all problems must be resolved peacefully and referenced Putin's September visit to the BRICS summit in New Delhi. Putin replied: "Thank you very much… We are moving along that path." Putin also met Uzbek President Mirziyoyev the same day.

The Energy Ministry said the government has adopted a resolution allowing retail sales of K2–K5 (Euro-2 to Euro-5) petrol and diesel from 1 September 2026 to 30 June 2027, to stabilise the domestic fuel market and reduce shortage risks. Previously these grades could only be supplied by refineries under domestic contracts, with retail sales restricted. The measure is temporary and stations must disclose the environmental class of the fuel sold.

The Economic Development Ministry said the digital-platform subcommittee chaired by Deputy PM Dmitry Grigorenko approved the roadmap, centred on amendments to the platform-economy, consumer-protection and state-control laws: rules for platform-funded discounts; a 45-day notice before changing payout terms to sellers; a single displayed price independent of payment method or loyalty programme; equal conditions for Russian and foreign sellers; and remote, including real-time, oversight. Grigorenko said the second legislative package is at a high degree of readiness.

Updating the 30 August lawmaker forecast that the Central Bank might pause cuts in September — the regulator's own position: deputy chairman Alexey Zabotkin said at a press conference that room for cuts narrowed as early as the July round, reflected in upward revisions to this year's and next year's rate forecasts. Further decisions will depend on actual conditions and the goal of returning inflation to 4% in 2027. The Bank previously estimated the fuel market's contribution to 2026 CPI at 1.5 pp; new estimates come in October.

Moscow Fuel Association data as of 31 August: at independent stations Ai-92 rose 11.7 rubles to 96.85 rubles/litre and Ai-95 rose 8.2 rubles to 100.82; the steepest increases were at ORTK stations (mostly in the Moscow region), up 16 rubles to 109 and 114 respectively. Vertically integrated companies' stations edged prices down: Ai-92 at 64.78 (-0.05) and Ai-95 at 71.23 (-0.18). Diesel was steadier, at 79.21 (VINK) and 94.76 (independents).

The government press service said that after a meeting of the petroleum-products task force, Deputy PM Alexander Novak instructed the Energy Ministry and the antimonopoly service to tighten monitoring of pricing at independent filling stations and to track price dynamics more closely, with particular attention to implementation of agreements between regional operators and large independent networks. Fuel supply in the Arkhangelsk, Novosibirsk and Sverdlovsk regions and the Sakha Republic, northern-delivery shipments and supplies to agricultural producers were also reviewed.

In main-session trading on 31 August the MOEX index closed at 2,178.87 (+3%), briefly touching the 2,180 area — its highest close since 13 August — while the RTS index ended at 794.63 (+2.1%). Drivers included strong corporate earnings, Brent November futures breaking $90/bbl (+2.7%) amid US–Iran strikes, and renewed hopes of talks on Ukraine. Gainers: MMK +7.9%, Norilsk Nickel +6.1%, PhosAgro +6.1%, NLMK +5.2%, Gazprom +4.3%.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Channel One that Putin's 1 September talks with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan will be pragmatic and respectful, and confirmed the two will discuss Armenia's domestic situation — opposition arrests and talk of a transformation in Yerevan–Moscow ties. Context: on 28 August presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said Armenia cannot seek EU membership while continuing to reap large benefits from the EAEU.

Moscow confirmed that Finance Minister Anton Siluanov met US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Asheville, USA — the latest direct Russia–US contact on the financial track.

Presidential special representative for investment and economic cooperation Kirill Dmitriev told reporters: "The dialogue continues despite active attempts by enemies either to derail it or to misinform our American partners." He said that as it becomes clear the Ukrainian escalation was a very wrong step that does not help Ukraine, more and more partners are engaging, including on economic issues.

On 31 August Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree appointing Olzhas Bektenov as prime minister (45, in office since February 2024); after consultations with party factions, the nomination was submitted to the Kurultai and approved. The same day Yerlan Karin became vice-president, a new post created under the new constitution. Putin said the election results confirm the Kazakh people's support for Tokayev.

The Digital Development Ministry said the government has signed traffic-rule amendments allowing drivers to show traffic police a QR code of their driving licence and vehicle registration certificate in the Max messenger. Electronic documents are optional, do not replace paper ones and have equal legal force. The technical capability will be rolled out in coming months; documents can be loaded via the Gosuslugi Avto app, which has 20 million users.

Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov said ahead of the new school year that there are no plans to change or make the Unified State Exam harder, adding that the updated education system has improved quality: average USE scores rose and the number of high scorers grew by roughly 20–25%; over five years Russian students' gold medals at international olympiads increased from 21 to 33. He said the creation of a unified educational space is complete. Schools switch to updated federal curricula on 1 September.

Thailand's Royal Gazette published a regulation cancelling the 60-day visa-free regime introduced in July 2024 for 93 countries: citizens of 60 countries, including Russia, may now stay up to 30 days for tourism, effective 15 September. Those entering before that date may stay 60 days; later arrivals may request one extension, and land-border crossings are capped at two per calendar year. The Russian Union of Travel Industry said the change will barely affect ordinary tourists (typically 15–21 days) but hits long-stay residents and those doing visa runs.

According to the Education Ministry, schools in Russia's border regions — Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk and others — will hold their 1 September opening assemblies behind closed doors for security reasons.

Sverdlovsk region governor Denis Pasler reported four injured: two with shrapnel wounds from broken glass (under medical observation) and two with mild smoke inhalation (declined hospitalisation). Three apartment blocks were damaged and all residents evacuated; 115 specialists and 37 vehicles are working on site, with no fires and damage mostly shattered windows. Debris from one drone fell outside a logistics centre, which had been evacuated in advance with no casualties. The region's drone-danger regime was imposed and later lifted.

Updating the series of 29–30 August attacks (including the 30 August missile strike on Belgorod city that killed 2 and injured 16): a fresh drone attack on 31 August killed one person and injured three more.

Updating the 675 deaths reported on 30 August: the toll has reached 939, with about 3,900 missing including some 600 foreigners; search operations continue. The 26 August flooding in northern Nepal and the border areas of China was preliminarily attributed to an earthquake-triggered glacial avalanche followed by a mudflow down the Lhende Khola river, about 20 km north-east of the Rasuwagadhi border crossing. Nine Russian citizens had earlier been reported missing in the China–Nepal border disaster zone.

Under IFRS, KAMAZ's net loss for January–June 2026 narrowed 29.5% to 21.8 billion rubles while revenue rose 7% to 164.76 billion. The company attributes the improvement to sales of its flagship K5 range, registrations of which rose 1.5-fold even as Russia's heavy-truck market fell 15% over the period. Operating loss shrank 55.5% to 8 billion rubles, but interest expenses reached 18.6 billion and short-term liabilities jumped to 435.6 billion from 268 billion at the start of the year.

Gazprom said it will begin supplying grid natural gas to Nefteyugansk in the Khanty-Mansi autonomous district on 1 September, having built a spur pipeline with the Karkateyevy and Pyt-Yakh gas distribution stations plus an inter-settlement pipeline to the city; the region built the link into existing city networks. Board chairman Alexey Miller and regional governor Ruslan Kukharuk reviewed gasification progress: as of 1 January 2026 technically feasible grid gasification stood at 90.1%, with 5,800 additional-gasification contracts signed and 4,000 fulfilled.

Hydromet Centre director Yuri Simonov told a press conference that July was the hottest month across Russia in the entire instrumental observation period since 1891, beating the 2010 record. Anomalous warmth centred on northern Siberia, the southern Urals and the Altai, with new temperature maxima in Yakutia, Kamchatka and Khanty-Mansi; for the northern hemisphere as a whole July was also the warmest on record. June was the second hottest after June 2012, short by one tenth of a degree. In the Volga region and the Urals July precipitation reached two to 2.5 times the monthly norm. Moscow's summer was 0.9°C above normal, with only five days above 30°C at the VDNKh station.

The opening ceremony was held on 31 August at the 51,000-seat Bishkek Arena, a building styled as a giant yurt (280 m diameter, 70 m high). Leaders of 16 states and UN Secretary-General António Guterres attended; Putin greeted the Russian team. Participation set a record: athletes from 112 countries (previous maximum 102), about 3,000 competitors and 43 disciplines across three blocks — ethno-sport, ethno-culture, and science and traditional knowledge. Russia's team, drawn from 33 regions, will compete in all 43 disciplines. Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov announced that Russia has formally offered to host the seventh Games in Tatarstan in 2028.

Eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi announced on social media that he is ending his Argentina career, calling the decision painful but timely. He said he had been considering it since the 2026 World Cup, where Argentina finished runners-up, and that his father's recent death strengthened his resolve. Messi played for Argentina for 20 years, winning the World Cup in 2022; he continues at club level with Inter Miami.

M.Video PR director Sergey Kolyada told Radio RBC that the company logged its highest-ever two-month inflow of sellers: July 2026 set an all-time monthly record for new registrations, with more than 1,600 partners joining — up 59% versus June and 168% versus January. Total registered sellers now exceed 12,000.

By end-June 2026, M.Video and Eldorado's combined store network shrank from over 1,100 locations a year earlier to 638 — a decline of more than 40%. The company frames it as a shift from classic retail to a multi-category platform with its own marketplace: its largest suppliers are being moved to an agency model so the assortment can be expanded via third-party sellers without buying stock upfront.

The Eurasian Economic Commission's internal market protection department completed a safeguard investigation into tinplate imports (flat rolled steel over 600 mm wide and under 0.5 mm thick, tin-plated) and published its report on the EAEU portal on 31 August, recommending a 25.2% safeguard duty for three years. The probe was initiated by Belarus's Metalloprokatnaya Kompaniya and backed by MMK. China's share of supply has risen to 93–100%, with volumes up 42–60% year on year in Q3 2025 and 12–25% in Q4. Over the same period EAEU output fell 12–27%, capacity utilisation dropped 18–33 percentage points, and sales profit fell 80–95%, with production loss-making in Q3–Q4 2025. Tinplate is used for metal packaging of canned food, paints, chemicals and cosmetics.

On the morning of 31 August, CDEK services suffered a major outage: according to Detector404, more than 500 complaints were filed in the hour before 11:00 MSK, with 46% of users unable to reach the website, 33% the mobile app and 14% reporting problems with their personal account. CDEK's press office told TASS the disruption was caused by a planned internal systems update and services would return to normal within hours; parcels and customer data were unaffected and branches and delivery continued operating.

The government subcommittee for digital platform development approved a 2026–2027 roadmap for regulating the platform economy, drawn up from proposals by ministries, the Central Bank and industry associations. Most measures amend the laws on the platform economy, consumer rights protection and state control (supervision). Key provisions: regulating discounts funded by platforms; requiring platforms to give sellers 45 days' notice before changing payout deadlines and rules; separate rules for returning goods of acceptable quality; mandating display of a single unified price that does not vary by payment method or loyalty programme participation; and equalising conditions for Russian and foreign sellers operating through intermediary digital platforms, plus remote real-time supervision. Deputy PM Dmitry Grigorenko said the platform economy law takes effect in October 2026 and that a second legislative package is near-ready and will go to the State Duma shortly; Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov added that the ministry will monitor enforcement practice.

Opora Rossii president Alexander Kalinin sent a letter to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on 28 August asking that the tax relief perimeter be extended from Wildberries to Ozon and its sellers. Current government resolution No. 1074 of 25 August 2026 covers only Wildberries sellers and platform owner RWB: those whose losses reach at least 5% of annual revenue get a one-year deferral on VAT (except import VAT), profit tax, the Unified/Automatic simplified tax, insurance contributions and related advance payments, followed by a 12-month equal instalment plan. A moratorium on tax audits runs to year-end and debt collection deadlines are pushed back six months. The Ministry of Economic Development has said it would consider support for Ozon only if the marketplace itself requests it.

According to VTB and Online Patent calculations released ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum, more than 2,700 trademarks from Asia-Pacific companies were registered in Russia in H1 2026 — up 15% year on year and 2.3 times the H1 2021 figure. China saw the largest increase, up 3.6 times to 1,900 marks; Japan rose 1.5x to 192 and South Korea 1.3x to 238. Registrations are concentrated in electronics, IT, transport, automotive products and mechanical engineering, with notable growth in consumer categories such as clothing, footwear, cosmetics and personal care.

Data from Chestny Znak operator CRPT shows Russian perfume imports fell 10.7% year on year to 29 million units in January–July 2026: eau de toilette down 18.2% to 7.2 million bottles, cologne down 19.5% to 150,700 units, and eau de parfum down 6.5% to 16.3 million. Perfume (dukhi) was the exception, up 7.1% to 4.4 million bottles. Russian perfume output over the same period rose 22.9% to 72.3 million packs, with perfume production up 77.1% to nearly 34 million bottles, lifting domestic companies past a 71% market share. CRPT's consumer goods head Varvara Mikhailova said import substitution is under way; Pyotr Bobrovsky, executive director of the perfume and cosmetics producers' association, cautioned that the growth comes from contract manufacturing orders rather than new capacity (fewer than 20 Russian perfume makers own their own plants), with cosmetics and apparel producers moving aggressively into the category.

Citing distributor data reported by Kommersant, Russian server memory and storage prices rose sharply in H1 2026, with some component models selling for three times their end-2025 price and server memory up 25–150% over six months. Marvel-Distribution puts its maximum estimate of Russia's 2026 memory market at RUB 160 billion. Experts interviewed attribute the surge to the AI boom reallocating manufacturing capacity toward neural-network hardware and expect no decline in electronics prices over the next 12 months.

Russia's central bank published official rates on 31 August, effective 1 September: USD 86.3793, EUR 100.5714, CNY 12.8580. Against the previous effective group (published 28 August, in force 29–31 August: USD 85.6007, EUR 99.6820, CNY 12.7335), the yuan gained 0.98%, the dollar 0.91% and the euro 0.89% — the rouble weakened against all three. Note: the CBR published no new rates on 29–31 August; the 28 August group remained in force.

M.Video's H1 2026 IFRS results: total GMV down 26.9% year on year to RUB 152.6bn, revenue down 36.8% to RUB 108.2bn, gross profit falling from RUB 27bn to RUB 4.1bn, EBITDA at minus RUB 14.7bn and net loss widening from RUB 25.2bn to RUB 36.1bn; retail sales fell 36.8% to RUB 89.2bn. The mix is shifting sharply online: total online sales reached RUB 63.4bn, lifting the online share of GMV from 32.2% for full-year 2025 to 41.5%; the in-house marketplace's GMV quadrupled year on year to over RUB 17.7bn (11.6% of total GMV), with more than 12,000 sellers. Own inventory stood at RUB 70.6bn at end-June, down 14.7% from end-2025, as the largest suppliers move to an agency model and third-party sellers account for a growing share.