Lawsuits against Ozon and Wildberries surge: WB 599 cases (+53.6%), O…

CEC data show United Russia at 56.97% after 32.92% of protocols processed; CPRF 13.95%, LDPR 9.26%, New People 8.06%, A Just Russia 5.22%. Elections ran 18-20 September.

CEC deputy chairman Nikolai Bulayev said turnout in the State Duma election reached 56.66%, exceeding the 1993, 2016 and 2021 figures. More than 2,200 campaigns were held, filling about 20,700 mandates.

CEC head Ella Pamfilova said 74 buildings housing territorial and precinct commissions in 10 Russian regions were damaged or destroyed during the voting period. Some commissions were relocated to reserve premises.

CEC chair Pamfilova said final results would not be announced before 25 September. Moscow mayor Sobyanin said Kyiv failed to disrupt voting in the capital.

Serbia said it hopes Russia will extend the gas supply contract. Despite geopolitical pressure, some European states remain dependent on Russian energy.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said talks continue on a visa-free regime for organized tourist groups; group size and stay duration are still under discussion.

US President Donald Trump outlined three possible scenarios for the Iran situation. Iran's president travelled to New York the same day to attend the UN General Assembly.

Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said the Finance Ministry and Central Bank are jointly studying a Russian stablecoin mechanism, use cases and risks; no concrete model or bill is ready yet.

Chinese customs data show Russia supplied USD 75.3m of pork to China in Jan-Aug 2026 (+26.9% YoY), overtaking the UK (USD 70.8m) to rank third; Spain and Brazil lead. Russia is also China's second-largest poultry supplier.

Chinese customs data show Russian imports of Chinese potatoes fell 25% YoY to USD 1.8m in August and dropped about 2.5 times MoM. The backdrop is a forecast Russian crop decline and higher prices.

A 48-year-old man was detained in Moscow after firing randomly from an apartment window with an airsoft/paintball gun. No one was injured.

A 14-year-old girl was detained in St Petersburg suspected of setting fire to two police vehicles. A bottle of flammable liquid was found in her bag; a criminal case was opened.

Russia's Federal Tax Service decided to freeze the accounts of blogger Arsen Markaryan's sole proprietorship for failing to file a tax return on time. Markaryan had earlier been convicted of inciting hatred and rehabilitating Nazism.

In the early hours of 20 September, 249 drones were shot down across 17 districts of the Moscow region. In Ramensky district drones hit apartment buildings: 2 dead, 5 injured, about 400 evacuated; 2 children were hurt.

On 20 September freight cars derailed on the Dvoynaya-Yelmut section in Rostov region; traffic on the Kublerle-Salsk section was suspended. No casualties, but dozens of trains had their routes adjusted.

On the evening of 20 September an Mi-8 air-ambulance helicopter made a hard landing in Sulomay, Krasnoyarsk region. Four people were on board; one was injured.

In Vityazevo near Anapa, a car damaged a gas pipe, causing a fire covering 1,500 sq m that engulfed market stalls and a two-storey building. About 60 rescuers and 20+ vehicles extinguished it; no casualties.

Russian MMA fighter and former Fight Nights heavyweight champion Grigory Ponomaryov has died at the age of 31. His MMA record was 6 wins and 3 losses; cause of death was not disclosed.

Kommersant, citing SPARK: from 15 July to 15 September, Wildberries entity OOO RVB became a defendant in 599 new lawsuits (+53.6% year-on-year), and Ozon entity OOO Internet Resheniya in 236 — more than double. Most suits are filed by small online-trade companies and are tied to goods losses after drone attacks on platform warehouses plus payment delays for some Wildberries sellers. Wildberries says the figures match the scale of the RWB group, Ozon says the load grows with the number of operations; the sellers' union (SPM) says platforms more often dispute sellers over goods losses. Experts note platforms may invoke force majeure to avoid payouts, and fewer than 1% of active sellers have gone to court. More detail from the same report: the International Association for the Development of Marketplaces and Entrepreneurs (MARP) estimated that since 18 July, attacks on platform logistics facilities have affected more than 400,000 sellers, with cumulative losses of 600—800 billion rubles; an SPM survey showed 95.6% of sellers received no payout for the settlement week of 27 July — 2 August (Wildberries attributed this to a DDoS attack); back in May, 76% of sellers on the platform faced payment delays (Tochka Sverki data). Seller Farid Azimi notes that when goods are lost or damaged, platforms reimburse only direct damage — the purchase price or cost — excluding other expenses and lost profit. What it means for Chinese sellers: if you suffer losses from warehouse attacks or payment delays, the platform may invoke force majeure and typically covers only direct loss (purchase/cost price), excluding freight and profit — keep platform-exported loss reports and withdrawal records as evidence.

On 20 September, LEV Menedzhment — which holds 100% of Auchan under temporary management — wrote to Auchan's management (full letter obtained by RBC): it pledged to keep OOO Auchan as a single retail network with uninterrupted operation of hypermarkets and distribution centres; purchases, supplies, store operations and obligations to buyers, suppliers and employees must continue without interruption. It also promised to protect Auchan's real estate from attacks (including drones), and not to replace or renegotiate the current management. Before registration in the legal-entities registry (EGRUL), it asked to refrain from major and related-party deals, substantial borrowing, profit distribution and dividends, disposal of fixed assets and trademarks, staffing changes, payouts to top management, reorganisation, creating or divesting subsidiaries, and early termination of material contracts. Auchan's press office confirmed receipt and said all facilities operate normally; Lemana Pro received a similar letter. What it means for Chinese sellers: supplier payment terms and existing contracts with Auchan/Lemana Pro/FM Logistic remain unchanged for now (material contracts are asked not to be terminated early), so supply and settlement routes stay put in the near term — but new major deals should wait until registration completes.

RBC (20 Sep, 09:05 MSK): Russian retailers expect an atypical price rise for previous-generation iPhones — after the latest launch, older models are getting more expensive instead of cheaper. Background: at its 9 September event Apple raised prices of the still-selling iPhone 16/17 series by $100 (higher component costs, including memory); in Russia, FX, logistics and parallel-import conditions add to this. Per Yandex Market, during the week of 7—13 September the average price of iPhone 17 Pro Max rose 10%, while iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max gained 5%. Citilink expects the most visible correction in October and says high competition will make it impossible to offset purchase prices with margin; M.Video says sufficient stock of previous models smooths the changes. What it means for Chinese sellers: procurement costs for older iPhones are rising while pricing headroom narrows — watch the October correction window, FX and parallel-import channel costs, and avoid piling up stock at the peak.

Vedomosti, citing Autostat: in January–August 2026, 75,000 used (with-mileage) cars were imported from China to Russia — up 98% from 38,000 a year earlier. The most popular models are the VW Tayron (5,926), Toyota Corolla (5,096), Audi Q3 (4,088) and A3 (3,907), and VW Golf (2,809) — German and Japanese used cars dominate. Autoru also reported demand for used diesel cars in August up 33% versus June. What it means for Chinese sellers: used cars and auto parts are an active China–Russia cross-border channel still growing in volume; but German/Japanese used cars currently dominate, while Chinese brands rank fifth in the used-car segment (see the 18 September briefing) — parts and consumables sellers should factor this structure into their stock planning.