Drone strikes on warehouses push sellers to alternative channels: new…

Speaking to reporters on 25 September on the sidelines of the United Cultures Forum in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin said Russia is not preparing for any military action against Europe — there are no such plans and, most importantly, no real motive to escalate. He called the European line a deliberate inflation of the situation and a provocation, driven by a desire to keep using Ukraine as an instrument against Russia's development.

On 25 September the Central Election Commission signed protocols approving the results of the ninth State Duma election, both for the federal district and overall. Of 450 seats, United Russia took 349, the Communist Party 37, the Liberal Democratic Party 23, New People 19, A Just Russia 17 and Rodina 1, with four self-nominated candidates also winning. CEC head Ella Pamfilova said the chamber renewed by nearly half and grew younger, with the average deputy now 53. Voting took place on 18–20 September.

The press service of Mordovia head Artyom Zdunov said on 25 September that he had vested former ambassador to Britain Andrey Kelin with the powers of a Federation Council senator representing the republic's executive branch; the decree was signed and took effect the same day. Putin also released Kelin from his ambassadorial post on 25 September. Kelin has served in diplomacy since 1979, was Russia's permanent representative to the OSCE in 2011–2015 and ambassador in London from November 2019.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on 25 September at a ministerial meeting at Russia's UN mission during the 81st UN General Assembly session that the parties will formally announce the start of work on the text of a Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century, approving a short joint statement. He said the initiative is meant to lay the foundation for a new Eurasian security architecture. Participants included Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Iran; Turkey, Jordan, China, the UAE, Oman, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand attended as observers without joining the statement. Belarus originally proposed the initiative.

US President Donald Trump on 25 September accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the APEC summit in China. The forum, chaired by China this year, will be held in Shenzhen on 18–19 November. Xi said he looks forward to the meeting and welcomed the president and his wife; Trump replied, "Thank you very much, we will do that," adding that much discussion is expected. The two sides also reached a preliminary agreement to hold further talks later this year. The G20 summit is scheduled for 14–15 December in Florida. Xi arrived in Washington on 23 September for his first state visit to the United States in 11 years.

Kirill Dmitriev, the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, arrived in New York on 25 September for another round of talks with US colleagues, an RIA Novosti correspondent reported. He arrived at the venue accompanied by security, with visibly heightened measures. The agenda and participants were not disclosed.

Euroclear Bank has filed a cassation appeal against rulings of two Russian arbitration courts that ordered it to pay roughly €200 billion (about 19 trillion roubles) in damages in a lawsuit brought by the Bank of Russia. The appeal was lodged with the Moscow Arbitration Court on 24 September and will be forwarded to the Arbitration Court of the Moscow District. The first-instance court fully upheld the central bank's claim on 15 May; in July the Ninth Arbitration Appeal Court dismissed Euroclear's appeal and the ruling entered into force. The Bank of Russia said it was satisfied and would continue challenging EU actions regarding Russian sovereign assets.

Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade published a draft order on the technology fee, setting the product list, rates and calculation method, with collection starting 1 December. The base rate is 373 roubles for smartphones and 746 roubles for laptops; cordless handsets 149 roubles, cellular handsets 75 roubles, other phones 37 roubles. Devices included in the marking system pay 33% below the base rate, while those absent from the state information system pay 33% more. The ministry said the design is meant to offset inflationary risks and proceeds will support the radio-electronics industry. The fee was originally due on 1 September and was postponed after industry consultations.

Acting head of the Bank of Russia's behavioural supervision department Sergey Kolganov said on 25 September, on the sidelines of the International Banking Forum, that the regulator sees unfair practice whereby market participants offer consumer credit disguised as instalment plans, and is working with banks and marketplaces to eliminate it, issuing orders where necessary. He noted the same problem occurs on e-commerce platforms. Russia's BNPL law has been in force since April 2026: obligations above 50,000 roubles must be reported to credit bureaus.

The interregional consumer watchdog office for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region reported that five measles cases were registered among pupils of School No. 717 in the Nevsky district between 23 and 24 September. Anti-epidemic measures are under way at patients' homes and at the school, including identification of contacts and vaccination. Pupils without measles immunisation have been suspended from classes.

The Samara regional government approved a procedure for registering pets, published on the regional administration's website, with oversight by the regional veterinary committee. Dog registration is mandatory; cat registration is at the owner's discretion. Dogs must be registered within 14 days of reaching three months of age, with a three-month window for older animals when the rules take effect. Registration is free but an electronic chip is required, with data entered into the federal veterinary information system and the regional registry. Authorities cited disease prevention, animal counting, returning lost pets, reducing stray populations and combating cruelty. The rules take effect on 1 March 2027.

Russia's Justice Ministry announced on 25 September that the online project Khodorkovsky LIVE had been added to the foreign agents register. The ministry cited dissemination of fakes about Russian government decisions and policy, attempts to form a negative image of the Russian Armed Forces, opposition to the special military operation and reposting of foreign-agent materials; project participants include people already on the register. Journalists Valery Klepkin and Maria Mikayelyan were added in the same batch.

Ulyanovsk Region governor Alexey Russkikh said on 25 September that the number of people injured in the drone attack on Ulyanovsk had risen to 15. Four were hospitalised with shrapnel wounds, bruises and fractures, all in moderate condition with no severe cases; 11 others received outpatient treatment. Three of the injured are teenagers aged 12 to 17. Earlier reports cited 12 injured, three of them hospitalised.

The Belgorod Region operational headquarters reported on 25 September that a drone struck a car in the village of Zozuli, Borisovsky district, killing a man and a woman — a married couple — at the scene. In Shebekino a drone exploded at an enterprise, damaging the roof and facade of a warehouse. Several other drones damaged the entrance of a private house and two cars.

On 25 September a fire broke out aboard the fishing vessel Triumph off the Kamchatka coast. Of 29 people on board, the passing vessel Perseus rescued 25 crew members; four remain missing. Initial reports said the captain was among the missing, but an RIA Novosti source said he had been saved, leaving four unaccounted for. Seven people were injured. The vessel was about 30 km east of Cape Khodzhelayko, near Cape Povorotny. The Eastern Interregional Transport Investigation Directorate opened a criminal case over violations of maritime safety rules; three vessels joined the search, which is being conducted with searchlights after nightfall.

The communications office of Novovoronezh NPP said on 25 September that Unit 6 had been disconnected from the grid by automatic protection. The shutdown was performed safely in line with design algorithms to allow repair work on thermal-mechanical equipment. Units 4 and 7 remain in operation with a combined load of 1,563 MW, while Unit 5 is under scheduled maintenance. No safety limits or conditions were violated and the radiation background around the plant matches the natural level for the Voronezh Region. Unit 6 entered commercial operation in February 2017.

Russia's Transport Ministry said on 25 September that Moscow and Hanoi signed a memorandum in Hanoi expanding air services, allowing carriers to operate up to 105 flights per week from each side. Currently Russian airlines fly 39 weekly flights on 11 routes and Vietnamese carriers 31 on 13 routes. The Russian delegation was led by Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Poteshkin, with Vietnam's civil aviation chief Uong Viet Dung representing the host side. The ministry said route geography will continue to expand, including from Kazan, Barnaul, Novokuznetsk and Blagoveshchensk. Last year Russian carriers carried over 664,000 passengers to Vietnam; in the first seven months of this year the figure passed 1 million, a record.

Jazz saxophonist and composer Alexey Kozlov died on 25 September at the age of 90, his fan club announced on social media. Self-taught on saxophone, he began performing in the mid-1950s, played in the first Soviet jazz ensemble to appear at a foreign festival (in Warsaw), took part in opening Moscow's first jazz cafe-club Molodezhnoye, and in 1973 founded Arsenal, the USSR's first jazz-rock ensemble. He was named Honoured Artist of the RSFSR in 1988 and People's Artist of Russia in 2003, received the Order for Merit in Culture and Art in February 2026, and ended his performing career in 2024.

At the European Boxing Championships in Sofia, Russia topped the overall medal table with 15 medals — 7 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze. Turkey was second (4-1-5) and Azerbaijan third (2-1-2). In the men's tournament Russia had the best result with 5 golds and 2 silvers; in the women's event the team finished second (2-3-3), behind Turkey. The championships are held under World Boxing auspices with more than 400 athletes from 40 national federations across 20 weight classes; Russians competed under their flag and anthem.

A Kommersant front-page feature (issue No. 177) says Russian e-commerce growth keeps slowing: +50% in 2023, +39% in 2024, +19% in 2025, and an estimated +15% to 15 trillion rubles in 2026; MoySklad CEO Askar Rakhimberdiev expects +20% versus 28% last year. Alexey Molodykh, head of the International Association for Marketplace and Entrepreneurship Development (MARMP), puts the combined share of Ozon and Wildberries at about 80% of e-commerce; the inflow of new sellers this summer fell 27% year on year (53% per MoySklad). MARMP estimates total seller losses at 500 billion rubles, while Market Papa founder Vasily Bumagin puts them at 1-1.5 trillion rubles. Wildberries has paid 97,000 entrepreneurs, but the average payout was only 20% of lost goods value: the company had already classified drone strikes as force majeure in its offer, which legally removes the obligation of full compensation, and preferential loans are credit rather than compensation.

Cost data from the same feature: Market Papa founder Vasily Bumagin says marketplace commissions rose from an average of 20% to 40-50% over three years and logistics costs doubled or tripled; MARMP head Alexey Molodykh notes that cargo insurance at Ozon became 3.3 times more expensive and the FBS model costs an extra 100-200 rubles per unit sold. Analyst Stanislav Mudrov puts overall online-trade profitability at 8% in the first half of 2026, down two and a half times in a year. MoySklad CEO Askar Rakhimberdiev says returns of 20-30% used to be normal, while 5-10% is now considered a good result. Sellers cannot simply pass higher costs onto prices: that predictably causes a sharp drop in sales.

Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Vladimir Chistyukhin told Interfax that introducing the open model of interaction between banks and marketplaces on the financial side remains on the agenda but is not being pushed at the moment: because of the drone strikes the emphasis has shifted to ensuring continuity of the largest platforms. He stressed that the fundamental issues of a single price and equal competition do not depend on the warehouse situation. The regulator welcomes Ozon green price program (OTP Bank, Sovcombank, MTS Dengi and Royal Credit Bank are connected, with participating banks co-funding discounts) and agrees with the Federal Antimonopoly Service that this option is acceptable. On Wildberries, which partnered with VTB (the bank bought a 5% stake in RWB subsidiary bank in May), he said that even a model with a shareholder bank plus an own bank can hardly count as a full open model. Digital platform issues run on two tracks: the government one (Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko) and the presidential administration one (Maxim Oreshkin).

Two government orders (official legal information portal, documents 0001202609250068 and 0001202609250047): on the M-4 Don highway in Rostov region a toll section at km 933-1024 is being introduced; expansion to six lanes started in 2025 and is due around 2027, with more than 100 billion rubles allocated. On the M-12 Vostok highway in Tatarstan an additional toll section is introduced, from the Kazan bypass to the M-7 Volga. Driving only on that section will be free, but a driver continuing onto the M-12 will pay for two sections, apparently at a higher rate according to Transport Ministry explanations. Tariffs and start dates are not yet set. The Transport Ministry said revenue goes to road maintenance, emergency commissioners and return of construction investment. Avtodor toll revenue rose 22% year on year in H1 2026 to 74.4 billion rubles (Q1 30.8 billion, Q2 43.6 billion).

The Kommersant feature cites Yandex Maps data: as of early September Russia had 260,000 operating pickup points, up 25% year on year versus 33% growth in 2025. MARMP head Alexey Molodykh says pickup point owners income fell 15-20% in July, which also affected the pace of new points entering the market. For sellers relying on pickup-point fulfillment, slower network growth combined with lower per-point revenue may increase delivery times and costs in remote regions.

Sergey Kolganov, acting director of the Central Bank behavioral supervision department, said on the sidelines of the International Banking Forum that the regulator sees an unfair practice: some banks and microfinance organizations offer clients a consumer loan disguised as an installment plan. This also happens on marketplaces: a product page offers credit or installments, the link leads to a bank or credit broker site, and the client ends up with a consumer loan rather than a free installment. The Central Bank keeps supervised banks and installment service operators under constant monitoring, discusses products before launch and issues orders when the practice is found. He said a marketplace is only a storefront while products are provided by banks, and platforms cooperate actively. The BNPL law took effect in April 2026: obligations above 50,000 rubles must be reported to credit bureaus, penalties cannot exceed 20% per annum, and early repayment without fees must be available.

Vedomosti reports that the Finance Ministry proposed a 22% VAT on foreign goods bought through various electronic platforms, and the relevant draft law has been submitted to the government. A second measure is a 100-ruble customs fee on each incoming parcel for personal use valued under 200 euro, which currently enters duty free. The ministry notes that Russian sellers include VAT in prices while cross-border personal purchases follow different rules; the measures aim to create a competitive environment and formalize the economy. Business advocates a phased introduction. Compared with the first Kommersant report on 24 September, the new substantive facts are: the draft has been officially submitted to the government, it explicitly covers various electronic platforms, and the business position on phased introduction is on record.

According to Easy Commerce data cited by Vedomosti, cosmetics sales on Russia three largest marketplaces reached 504 billion rubles in the first half of 2026, up 42% year on year. The study covered five largest categories: decorative cosmetics, womens and mens care products, home beauty devices and perfumery. Wildberries turnover for six months was 371 billion rubles, up 37%. However, the marketplace itself says cosmetics sales rose only 15% in value and 13% in units; experts attribute the gap to the analytics firm counting only five categories while the retailer counts the whole segment. The growth is also linked to a shrinking number of specialized offline stores.

Expert, citing Kommersant and the press service of the combined Wildberries & Russ company, reports that amid a growing number of bear attacks protection products on the platform are bought about three times more often, with company data showing interest in the category up 228% year on year; the company noted that sales volumes are small and measured in hundreds of units. Expert also cites a TASS count: as of 25 September, 21 people have died in bear attacks across Russia in recent months, including seven in Krasnoyarsk region, two in Tomsk region and one in Kamchatka. This event-driven demand can be a signal for narrow niches with short cycles, but the category size is small and does not justify large inventory buys.

Channel data from the same feature: Alfa-Bank analysts note sellers now operate on three or four platforms on average, and only 30% choose marketplaces exclusively, mostly small and medium companies. Alternatives named include Lamoda, Avito and Deti (Detsky Mir); demand among MoySklad clients for connecting alternative channels grew 1.5 times over the year. M.Video told Kommersant that the inflow of new sellers to its marketplace in July-August was a record. Neo expects demand for launching own sites in H2 2026 to rise 40-50% versus the January-June monthly average. Stanislav Mudrov suggests up to 20% of consumers may shift to foreign online stores; Vasily Bumagin warns that marketplaces themselves cut the final price, so other platforms often cannot be cheaper.

Interfax reported that by 19:00 Moscow time on 25 September the yuan on the Moscow Exchange fell 9 kopecks to 12.51 rubles; the ruble was supported by residual demand for ruble liquidity from exporters that must pay personal income tax, insurance contributions, VAT, mineral extraction tax, excises and profit tax on 28 September. Gazprombank senior analyst Alexander Kamyshansky notes the ruble traded in a 12.4-12.7 range per yuan this week, with higher volatility largely due to low exporter activity; more importantly, the 1-7 October holidays in China moved yuan settlement to 8 October, which may increase volatility next week. He estimates oil and gas tax payments to the budget at about 0.6 trillion rubles versus 0.4 trillion in August. By 19:00 November Brent futures were down 1.6% at $104.93 per barrel.

Official Bank of Russia rates (cbr.ru XML, ValCurs date 26.09.2026): USD 84.3414 rubles, EUR 95.8709 rubles, CNY 12.5355 rubles. Compared with the 25.09 group in effect on the coverage day (USD 84.9057, EUR 96.8859, CNY 12.6500), the ruble strengthened across the board: USD -56.43 kopecks, EUR -101.50 kopecks, CNY -11.45 kopecks. Since 8 June the official euro rate is derived from the ruble/dollar rate and the ECB euro/dollar rate at 15:30 on the current business day, because low turnover in the ruble/euro pair made direct daily calculation unrepresentative. This rate group is in effect for 26-28 September.

In an interview with Kommersant, AKORT chairman Stanislav Bogdanov said the government estimates e-commerce at over 20% of retail turnover, potentially rising to 25% by the end of 2026; the Industry and Trade Ministry forecasts 33-35% by 2030. Category differences are large: electronics, clothing, footwear and home goods are bought online most often, while online accounts for only 7% of food turnover in 2026, although it is the most dynamic segment and likely to exceed 10% in 2028. Online sales of large chains grew more than 20% on average in H1 2026, with online accounting for 5-10% of their turnover; drivers are express delivery, wider geography and dark store infrastructure. He also pointed to a competition imbalance: retail chains buy goods outright and bear direct quality responsibility, while marketplaces as intermediaries do not, yet remain a significant food sales channel.

RBC reported that the international research group Nielsen/GfK has closed the sale of its Russian assets: a company of venture investor Konstantin Leonovich acquired 60% of GFK-Rus, with another 40% going to a company of GFK-Rus CEO Alexey Dorofeev. Leonovich company also bought the Nielsen Russian assets; according to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, on 25 September 100% of AC Nielsen passed to his Konversiya company. The deal value was not disclosed. The new owners say both companies will continue consumer market research, retail audit, and shopper behavior monitoring, retaining the team, existing contracts and obligations to partners. Nielsen has operated in Russia since 1994 and has tracked online sales since 2017; its key asset is panel data on consumer preferences collected with X5, Magnit, Lenta and Metro, used for pricing, assortment management and marketing.