Ozon opens sorting centers to third-party operators in 29 cities; sel…

On 4 September, at a meeting of the Russian 'Victory' organising committee, Vladimir Putin proposed merging all state and regional patriotic tourism programmes onto a single information resource 'so that people can conveniently choose a route based on their means, interests and group composition.' Under the national Tourism and Hospitality project, domestic trips should reach 140 million a year by 2030; the 'More Than a Trip' project has already mapped 140-plus routes to military glory sites across 51 regions, while the Military Historical Society has over 200 'Roads of Victory' routes.

On 4 September Russia's Justice Ministry updated the foreign agents register, adding the online outlet Novaya Gazeta. It said the outlet 'disseminated unreliable information about decisions taken by public authorities and the policies they pursue, as well as about Russia's electoral system'; speaking out against the special military operation and circulating other foreign agents' materials were also cited. Poet Sergey Leybgrad, writer and journalist Felix Sandalov, actress Tatyana Tatarinova and the academic journal The Historical Expertise were added in the same batch.

Interior Ministry investigators charged former communications minister Nikolai Nikiforov in absentia under Article 210 (organising a criminal community) and Article 159 part 4 (large-scale fraud). Investigators allege he organised the Finiko pyramid, which took 5 billion rubles from 8,000 depositors, with funds moved abroad via Innopolis Architect, a company he co-founded. Finiko operated from 2019 to 2021, promising returns on securities and crypto investments that were never made. A female co-founder was extradited from Turkey in March 2026.

Compared with the CBR research bulletin of 2 September ('money supply up 13% y/y in July'), actual August data are now out: per the Central Bank's website, M2 rose 1.2% m/m in August to 137.3 trillion rubles (July: +0.6%), with annual growth on 1 September easing to 12.9% from 13.0% on 1 August. Broad money excluding FX revaluation (M2X) grew 1.2% (July: +0.5%), with annual growth slowing to 12.4% from 12.6%. Monthly growth of cash M0 slowed to 1.9% from 2.9%, but annual growth rose to 20.9% from 20.2%; M0's share climbed to 15.1%.

At the close of main trading on 4 September the MOEX index stood at 2,253.41 (+1.8%, session high 2,265.97) and the RTS at 819.85 (+2.1%). Gains were driven by expectations of renewed Ukraine talks, but capped by softer oil (November Brent near $95.4/bbl), a firmer ruble and pre-weekend profit-taking. Leaders included Aeroflot (+6.5%), Ozon (+4.6%), En+ Group (+3.9%) and Yandex (+3.8%). Over the week the indices gained 5.3–6.5%. The CBR's official dollar rate from 5 September is 86.5857 rubles, down 30.15 kopecks.

According to preliminary estimates by research group Petromarket, August fuel damper payouts to oil companies will run to about 100 billion rubles for gasoline and 180 billion for diesel — roughly 280 billion in total. The August damper is 29,400 rubles/tonne for gasoline and 41,200 for diesel, up 6,300 and 12,000 respectively from July, reflecting higher external prices and ruble depreciation (monthly average 77.8 rubles/$ in July vs 83.1 in August). By comparison, 197.3 billion was paid in August for July and 113 billion in July for June, with 898.9 billion over the first seven months of 2026. Deputy PM Alexander Novak said no changes to the damper formula are planned. The mechanism has operated since 2019.

On 4 September in the Oval Office, Donald Trump told reporters that envoys Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are going to Moscow and Kyiv 'carrying a proposal to end the war': 'We sent them to see if something can be done. There's a chance we can solve it.' He said the US has 'an idea for a peaceful solution' and called the pair 'two great negotiators.' Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the same day that there are still no concrete preconditions for a settlement, but 'work is continuing and contacts are continuing'; the Kremlin will announce Putin's contacts with the envoys 'when they take place.' Media reports put the trip on 5–6 September, Moscow first, then Kyiv.

Compared with 3 September ('Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a tough warning of countermeasures over the closure of the Bonn consulate-general'), concrete numbers and arrangements have emerged: Consul-General Oleg Krasnitsky said around 70 employees have been ordered to leave, 'plus family members and children,' and the mission is drawing up a departure plan. On 1 September German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul had announced the closure of the Berlin Russian House and the Bonn consulate-general plus tighter entry rules for Russian citizens, after drones were found at Leipzig airport. On 2 September Russia's MFA summoned Germany's chargé d'affaires and said Moscow had nothing to do with the incident. On 4 September Ambassador Sergey Nechayev said Russia will announce countermeasures; Maria Zakharova called the response 'tough.'

On 4 September Russia's Foreign Ministry said it had sent an urgent appeal to ICAO Secretary General Juan Carlos Salazar over Kyiv's statements aimed at creating direct threats to civil aviation, adding that Russian authorities are in contact with ICAO leadership in Montreal. Moscow lodged a 'firm protest' over Ukraine's 'reckless terrorist actions contrary to international law' and 'categorically rejected' Kyiv's NOTAM notices claiming Russian airspace is unsafe, calling them 'legally void, distorting the real situation and misleading users.' It urged the Secretary General to condemn Kyiv's interference and take targeted measures. ICAO headquarters confirmed to TASS that the letter was received and will be answered in due course. The backdrop is Zelensky's threat to close Russian skies with drones; Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin said such threats are factored in.

By order of Russia's Health Ministry, the registration certificate for the Hungarian anthelmintic drug Dekaris has been suspended from 1 September pending submission of materials supporting its renewal. The grounds are a Roszdravnadzor finding that levamisole-containing medicines pose a health risk. The document was published in the state register of medicines. Dekaris is made by Hungary's Gedeon Richter; its active substance is levamisole.

A joint poll by Roskachestvo's Consumer Behaviour Study Centre and Finance Mail (1,500 respondents aged 18+ across Russian cities) found 44% consider remote work the ideal format, 41% prefer hybrid, 10% full-time office and 3% say the format does not matter. 45% are satisfied with their remote schedule versus 2% who disagree; 10% are satisfied with office work versus 17% dissatisfied. In practice only 27% have found remote work, 26% work in an office, 18% hybrid, and 9% are in factories or production. 45% say they perform better at home, 24% say location makes no difference. VCIOM data show remote work prevalence doubled from 8% to 16% over four years, while hybrid rose from 23% to 34%.

Compared with 3 September (roughly one hundred drones toward Moscow, 94 downed per Sobyanin), full-day and weekly figures are now available: the Defence Ministry said that between 08:00 and 20:00 Moscow time on 4 September, 480 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were intercepted and destroyed over Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk and Tula regions, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, Crimea and the Black Sea. For the week, 6,093 drones were downed along with 49 guided aerial bombs, 19 HIMARS rockets and eight long-range Flamingo cruise missiles; another 490 were intercepted overnight into 4 September. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported 19 more drones shot down heading for the capital (65 for the day).

Krasnodar Krai governor Veniamin Kondratyev said at an operational meeting on 4 September that Ukrainian drones struck the region again overnight, with 'the main blow falling on civilian infrastructure and apartment buildings in Sochi'; falling debris started a fire at an oil depot, which 'could complicate the fuel situation at the resort's filling stations — this must not be allowed.' City authorities said air-quality instrument readings in Sochi's Adler district and on the Sirius federal territory were within norms; preliminary information indicated no casualties, with life-support systems, social, utilities and transport infrastructure running normally and the spa and tourism sector fully operational. Firefighting continued through the day and the burned area was not disclosed; public transport restrictions in Sochi were lifted in the evening and the airport resumed flights.

Belgorod region's operational HQ reported three people wounded on 4 September: a 14-year-old girl was taken to the regional children's clinical hospital with acoustic barotrauma from a drone detonation in the settlement of Proletarsky, Rakityansky district; in Oktyabrsky, Belgorod district, a woman suffered shrapnel wounds to her arms and legs when an FPV drone exploded and was hospitalised in serious condition before transfer to Belgorod; in Borisovsky district near the village of Khotmyzhsk a drone struck a car, leaving a woman with multiple shrapnel wounds being rushed to the regional clinical hospital in serious condition. In the village of Krasny Oktyabr an FPV drone damaged the roof and windows of an apartment building.

Compared with 1 September (939 dead, about 3,900 missing including some 600 foreigners), Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority said on 4 September the toll had risen to 1,287, with more than 13,000 people rescued and over 5,000 still missing, including 583 foreigners. The heaviest losses are in Chitwan (359), East Nawalparasi (219) and West Nawalparasi (212); the most missing are in Rasuwa (about 2,130) and Nuwakot (about 2,340). Over 21,000 security personnel are deployed. The flood hit northern Nepal on 26 August; the preliminary cause is a glacial avalanche triggered by an earthquake, followed by a mudflow down the Lhende Khola river about 20 km north-east of the Rasuwagadhi crossing on the Chinese border.

PJSC PIK Specialized Developer announced on its disclosure feed on 4 September that its board will consider on 7 September whether to put delisting to an extraordinary shareholders' meeting, alongside the buyout price for dissenting holders. Majority shareholder Nedvizhimye Aktivy has served notice of its right to squeeze out remaining shares: it now holds slightly over 98%, with minorities below 2%. The buyout price matches the April tender offer at 551.4 rubles per share; the register of holders is fixed on 20 October. Following the April offer, Nedvizhimye Aktivy (which controlled 84.88% together with affiliates) acquired about 13%. The price is 17% above the initially set 473.15 rubles after the Central Bank ordered a recalculation, noting that October's share-price drop followed the board's cancellation of the dividend policy and reverse-split proposal. PIK shares are on the MOEX first quotation list.

Agriculture Minister Oksana Lut said at a seasonal field-work HQ meeting on 4 September that Russia has harvested over 110 million tonnes of grain, including 83.5 million tonnes of wheat — 10.5 million tonnes more than a year earlier — with about 70% of grain and legume area threshed and domestic demand fully covered. Oilseeds stand at 3.3 million tonnes; 44 regions are sowing winter crops on 2.3 million hectares (2.1 million a year earlier). She said fuel supply for farmers has stabilised and urged regions not to lose winter-crop area. The same day analysts ProZerno and IKAR both revised their 2026 wheat forecast to 88.5 million tonnes, against 91.1 million in 2025 — ProZerno raised its estimate from 87.5 million while IKAR cut from 90 million — with total grain at nearly 134.9 million tonnes. ProZerno's Vladimir Petrichenko noted record-low sown area (down 6% y/y) but yields of 32.8 centners per hectare, the second-best on record after 33.2 in 2022.

On 4 September the 14th Cosmoscow contemporary art fair opened across two floors of Moscow's Timiryazev Centre, running to 6 September (10:00–20:00, public hours from 12:00). The fair has grown again: over 17,000 sq m, 112 gallery booths, four foreign-section booths, 11 non-commercial cultural projects and more than 20 partner blocks. Artist of the Year Igor Samolet presents 'Splash,' a 15-metre conveyor tracing the life cycle of an artistic idea — glass balls fall and shatter, the shards are swept into an envelope a visitor can buy. Founder Margarita Pushkina says contemporary art is ceasing to be the preserve of a narrow professional circle. Many works had already sold at the 3 September preview.

Compared with 1 September ('Medvedev reaches US Open second round'), on 4 September he beat France's Arthur Rinderknech 6:4, 6:4, 6:4 in the third round to reach the fourth round (last 16). Medvedev is ranked eighth in the world, his opponent 29th. His next opponent is to be determined. The tournament is being played in New York.

On 4 September in Saransk, at the Russian men's boxing championships, Edmond Khudoyan beat Volodya Mnatsakanyan in the 48 kg final to take his seventh national title; bronzes went to Viktor Yermolin and Dmitry Aydyshaa. Other champions crowned the same day: Rasul Saliev (51 kg), Timurbek Mamadaliev (54 kg), Andrey Peglivanyan (57 kg), Ruslan Belousov (60 kg), Ilya Popov (63.5 kg), Yegor Kozorezov (67 kg), Alexander Zyryanov (71 kg), Sergey Sergeyev (75 kg), Beshto Shavlaev (80 kg), Savely Sadoma (86 kg), Denis Kozlov (92 kg) and Vladislav Muravin (over 92 kg).

Ozon's press service announced on 4 September that it will bring in third-party logistics (3PL) operators across 29 Russian cities: partner sorting centers will receive and sort goods, hand them to couriers and process returns, with some sites forwarding seller shipments to Ozon's logistics centers in other regions. The site requirement is warehouse space from 1,500 sqm, and Ozon said fees for sellers will not change, framing the move as diversifying its logistics network and adding drop-off points. The backdrop is damage to Ozon warehouses and sorting centers in Saratov, Belgorod and other regions from drone strikes since 22 August, which temporarily restricted shipments. What it means for Chinese sellers: more drop-off options and less exposure to any single damaged hub, with no added fulfillment cost for now — but with sorting and returns handled by third parties, confirm handover acceptance standards and loss liability in advance.

RWB's press service told RBC on 4 September that Wildberries' first partner receiving points (PRP) for sellers have gone live in the Central, Southern and Siberian federal districts. Under FBW the points accept goods for onward shipment to company logistics sites; under FBS they act as an intermediate link, with the seller dropping goods off and the parcel going straight to the customer's pickup point. PRPs also handle temporary storage of returns — if returns sit more than three days, Wildberries pays extra for storage, while site owners are paid per box accepted. Volume at one pilot point has already exceeded 10,000 units; opening requires premises of at least 100 sqm with vehicle access, parking and CCTV. What it means for Chinese sellers: intake capacity is being pushed out into a franchise network, letting FBS sellers hand over stock locally instead of trucking it to a distant warehouse — but note the three-day threshold before extra return-storage fees kick in.

On 4 September the Federal Antimonopoly Service said it had signed agreements with 12 oil companies covering fuel supplies, under which retail prices at filling stations must not rise faster than inflation. The measure is meant to prevent a price blowout while the diesel export ban remains in force and some refineries have been hit. What it means for Chinese sellers: fuel is the most volatile cost component in Russian trunk and last-mile delivery, so capping the retail end helps stabilize September–October shipping quotes — but the deal only constrains pump prices, so wholesale rates and carrier quotes still need weekly monitoring.

According to the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange (SPIMEX) national index, by Friday 4 September versus the previous Friday Premium-95 fell 2.78% to RUB 73,139/tonne and Regular-92 fell 2.48% to RUB 68,805/tonne, with summer diesel down the most at 8.76%, while jet fuel rose 3.52% against the trend. What it means for Chinese sellers: trunk trucking runs mainly on diesel, so a near-9% weekly drop in summer diesel will gradually feed through to freight quotes in the second half of September, easing logistics cost pressure on Q4 stocking — but absolute prices remain high and strike and export-policy uncertainty persists.

Deputy PM Alexander Novak said at the Eastern Economic Forum on 4 September that the diesel export ban for producers runs to 30 September; if stocks build up to the point of oversupply risk, the government may lift it before or after that date, though the Energy Ministry currently sees fit to keep the restriction. The earlier supply disruptions touched 80 regions, and Russia has also been importing gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from friendly countries. What it means for Chinese sellers: lifting the diesel export ban would divert volumes abroad and could push domestic transport costs up, so it is not an unambiguous positive — it has to be read alongside fuel prices; keeping the ban through September actually supports stable inland logistics costs.

Deputy PM Dmitry Grigorenko told RBC at the Eastern Economic Forum on 4 September that the government is working out a mechanism to further cut the administrative burden on organizations and civilian infrastructure damaged by drone strikes — specifically cancelling scheduled and unscheduled non-tax inspections, with the normative act already drafted. The relief covers not only marketplace infrastructure but other damaged civilian facilities as well. In late August the government approved support for RWB (Wildberries) sellers: a one-year deferral of VAT, profit tax, simplified-tax and insurance contributions falling due between August 2026 and July 2027, plus a suspension of tax audits through end-2026. What it means for Chinese sellers: those operating through a Russian legal entity whose goods were destroyed in marketplace warehouses will face markedly lower tax and non-tax inspection pressure over the coming year — but risk-indicator inspections and preventive visits remain, so the compliance floor has not been lowered.

Sadovod CEO Alexey Negashev told RIA Nedvizhimost that the market is opening a dedicated 20,000 sqm expo zone by the Moscow Ring Road, with the first project focused on outdoor recreation, tourism, fishing and hunting goods opening on 5 September, involving 250 suppliers and manufacturers from Russia, China and other countries and more than 300,000 products. From next year Sadovod plans quarterly industry expo festivals, each devoted to a single category, with the strategic goal of becoming Russia's largest B2B platform. What it means for Chinese sellers: this is an offline B2B entry point to Russian wholesalers and retailers outside the marketplaces, letting Chinese factories in outdoor, fishing/hunting and seasonal categories test wholesale sales, gauge demand and find distributors at a far lower cost of failure than launching a storefront and ad spend.

In a joint RBC TV and Radio RBC broadcast on 4 September, book market players said they cannot walk away from marketplaces. Rabbits and Books head Anton Kozlov said he had fully stopped supplies to Wildberries and limited Ozon to the 'safest' warehouses, while 80% of the publisher's turnover came from the platforms. Svetlana Zorina, president of the Book Distribution Association, estimated more than 13.5 million books destroyed, with marketplaces accounting for about 30% of the book market. Rosman chief Boris Kuznetsov warned that switching to FBS because of strikes on Wildberries warehouses would push book prices up. Brick-and-mortar shops complain about unequal terms, with platform commissions for small shops at 'around 40%' versus very different terms for large chains. What it means for Chinese sellers: for low-ticket, loss-sensitive categories such as books, stationery and printed goods, the risk of keeping all stock in one large marketplace warehouse is now obvious — spread shipments across FBS and multiple warehouses. Russian publishers are also pushing for a preferential 5% VAT, which, if granted, would erode the price advantage of cheap imports.

Opening the 8th Russia-China Energy Business Forum on 4 September, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said settlements between Russia and China are conducted almost entirely in national currencies — rubles and yuan — with the yuan's share of China's international payment operations rising from 2% to 53% over the past 15 years. He added that locking in national-currency use requires fine-tuning clearing infrastructure and correspondent account opening, and that 'on this issue we still count on the help of the Bank of Russia and the People's Bank of China'. What it means for Chinese sellers: the national-currency channel broadly works for large trade, but the bottleneck for small and mid-sized sellers remains clearing and correspondent banking — keep multiple collection channels and a longer buffer for funds to land; if clearing infrastructure improves along the lines described, yuan settlement costs could come down.

At the 4 September close on the Moscow Exchange the yuan stood at RUB 12.7825, down 12.45 kopecks from the previous session's close. From 5 September the CBR cut its official dollar rate by 30.15 kopecks to RUB 86.5857/$ and the euro by 2.87 kopecks to RUB 100.5693/€. The main driver: the Finance Ministry cut its budget-rule FX purchases for September to RUB 2.5bn a day from RUB 6.5bn in August, while the CBR will reduce its corresponding operations for 7 September–6 October to RUB 1.92bn a day from RUB 5.92bn. What it means for Chinese sellers: the yuan is back near 12.8, but analysts still put the dollar at 85–90, so this looks more like a technical rebound driven by lower FX purchases than a trend reversal — no need to abruptly change your conversion schedule, but September can be treated as a relatively favorable window while watching whether the Ministry revises volumes in October.

According to Sampa MC (which manages Sber's shopping centers) based on SberIndex data, in January–August 2026 grocery and alcohol stores accounted for 24% of spending at large malls (over 50,000 sqm) versus 22% a year earlier (Moscow: 18% to 20%), while the non-food store share fell from 8% to 5% and food service dropped 1pp to 6%. CMWP data shows H1 turnover for appliances and electronics down 10–25%, children's goods down 8–14%, and beauty and health down 2–5%, with the food share of spending reaching 33%. What it means for Chinese sellers: the demand contraction in non-essential categories (small appliances, consumer electronics accessories, toys, beauty) is structural — be more conservative with Q4 peak-season stocking and prioritize clearing inventory over pushing new SKUs, while grocery and basic household goods channels are actually gaining share.