VTB expects to close the Wildberries (RWB) deal near end-October, tak…

The United Russia faction met on 29 September to nominate chairs for the committees of the ninth State Duma. Under the so-called package agreement, the parliamentary majority will head 20 of the 34 committees: Andrei Makarov (budget and taxes), Nikolai Shulginov (energy), Pavel Krasheninnikov (constitutional legislation), Maxim Topilin (economic policy), Vladimir Kasatonov (defence), Yuri Petrov (criminal and administrative legislation), Irina Belykh (education), Vladislav Golovin (youth policy), Oleg Morozov (control), Sergei Boyarsky (information policy), Olga Kazakova (culture), Yevgeny Moskvichev (transport), Vladimir Gutenev (industry and trade), Sergei Pakhomov (construction and utilities), Vladimir Ivanov (nationalities), Oleg Matytsin (sport), Vasily Piskarev (security), Pyotr Tolstoy (international affairs), Irina Guseva (regional policy) and Alexander Sidyakin (digital development and AI). Viktor Pinsky, Valentina Tereshkova and Ernest Valeyev were put forward to head three commissions.

Presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told RIA Novosti on 29 September that Vladimir Putin spoke separately with each parliamentary party leader who attended the post-election Kremlin meeting, saying "he spoke with each participant individually" and noting the president's working day ended very late. Those attending included Dmitry Medvedev (United Russia), Gennady Zyuganov (CPRF), Leonid Slutsky (LDPR), Alexander Babakov (A Just Russia) and Vladislav Davankov (New People). The 18–20 September election sent representatives of five parties to the Duma, plus one Rodina deputy and four independents.

On 29 September the United Russia faction elected Dmitry Kobylkin as its leader in the ninth State Duma. First deputy leaders are Vyacheslav Makarov (organizational work) and Dmitry Vyatkin (legislative work). Ivan Kvitka, Roman Lyubarsky, Adalbi Shkhagoshev, Alexander Borisov and Viktor Seliverstov were elected deputy leaders heading intra-faction groups, while Dmitry Afanasyev, Denis Kravchenko, Andrei Isayev, Yevgeny Revenko, Zhanna Ryabtseva and Darya Lantratova became deputy leaders for specific areas. The faction structure had been approved unanimously by a joint session of the party's supreme and general council bureaus, with nominations put forward by party chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on 29 September that the Kremlin expects Chinese President Xi Jinping, as host of the upcoming APEC summit, to take steps toward organizing a trilateral meeting with the Russian and US presidents: if the US president attends, "the host, President Xi Jinping, will probably take some steps toward a possible three-way meeting." Earlier the same day Ushakov noted that preparatory work for a Putin-Trump meeting on the APEC sidelines had not yet started. Russia has previously confirmed Putin will attend the APEC summit in Shenzhen.

UN Secretary-General spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a press briefing on 29 September that Antonio Guterres is concerned about the growing number of civilian casualties in Russia caused by increasingly frequent Ukrainian strikes. He reiterated that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are "a clear violation of international humanitarian law wherever they occur and must stop immediately." Guterres had already condemned Ukrainian drone strikes on several Russian regions in August and called for de-escalation.

A presidential decree signed and effective on 29 September amends Decree No. 193: the cash ruble export limit for individuals falls from the equivalent of $100,000 at the Central Bank rate to 1 million rubles, and the scope expands from the Eurasian Economic Union states (Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Legal entities and individual entrepreneurs are barred from exporting cash rubles to these countries regardless of amount. Exceptions cover exit through government-designated international airports with certified bank statements, international transport operations and diplomatic purposes. Individuals forfeit the amount above 1 million rubles, while companies and entrepreneurs forfeit the entire sum. The government and the Central Bank have three months to approve accounting rules for exported cash rubles.

The Central Bank board decided on 29 September to let banks apply reduced risk weights when calculating credit risk on loans financing projects to protect critical infrastructure from air attack: 30% for investment-grade borrowers and 50% for others. Macroprudential add-ons will not apply to such exposures. The measure covers corporate borrowers as well as regions and municipalities and runs from publication through 31 December 2026. The regulator said it will expand banks' capacity to lend for such projects within the existing limit for technological sovereignty and structural adaptation projects.

Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the Moscow Financial Forum that housing construction in areas at high risk of natural emergencies should be insured, which would ease the burden on the federal budget and encourage citizens to think carefully about where they build. He noted that natural disasters occur in one region or another every year while compensation is paid from the federal budget, and that the 2019 law on voluntary housing insurance never really worked, which is why mandatory insurance for building in high-risk zones is now under discussion.

Deputy Security Council chairman Dmitry Medvedev said at a Security Council migration policy commission meeting on 29 September that biometric entry controls should be introduced at all border crossing points as quickly as possible, warning that gaps and differing regimes would reduce the effectiveness of control. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the experiment, begun at four transport hubs in the capital and extended with 11 more checkpoints in St Petersburg, Novosibirsk and other cities, now covers 53% of all migration flows, and called for a uniform regime along the entire border. Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said all crossing points are planned to be equipped with biometric systems by 2030. Since December 2024 the system has helped identify more than 65,000 people wanted by police or subject to entry bans.

The Russian government has revised food norms for suspects, defendants and convicted prisoners, with the resolution taking effect in March 2027. For convicts, the daily meat allowance rises from 90 to 100 grams and vegetables from 250 to 320–340 grams, with seasonal breakdown by vegetable type introduced for the first time (cabbage, beetroot, carrots, onions, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin and courgettes) plus butter. Defendants gain 100 grams of curd cheese and two eggs a week, along with one fresh apple or fruit juice weekly. Norms for bread, potatoes, salt and margarine products were cut. Officials say the revised ration will match the consumer health watchdog's macronutrient and energy recommendations.

The Khamovniki Court in Moscow on 29 September granted the Prosecutor General's second anti-corruption claim against the ex-wife of Rusagro founder Vadim Moshkovich and the company's former CEO Maxim Basov. Basov was ordered to pay 3,070,727,513 rubles as corruptly acquired property. Partial settlement is made through more than 147 million rubles in his accounts and securities including about 70,000 Lukoil shares, 30,400 Yandex shares, 200,800 Norilsk Nickel shares, some 560,000 MMK shares, over 2.3 million Sberbank shares, over 1.3 million Gazprom shares and six VTB bonds with a face value of 10 million rubles each. Natalya Bykovskaya forfeited more than 364 million yuan and 35.1 million rubles, and about 8 million Rusagro shares were recovered from Moshkovich's relatives. The ruling is enforced immediately and the defence says it will appeal.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced on 29 September that the city will begin switching on heating from 1 October, with supply phased in over several days. Heating will first reach kindergartens, schools and hospitals, then apartment blocks, office buildings, and retail and industrial facilities. Sobyanin said preparations were completed on schedule, all engineering systems are ready for the heating period, and emergency crews and equipment are in place. The previous night was the coldest in Moscow since the start of autumn.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported on 29 September that a Tu-95 crashed in the Amur region during a training flight, coming down in an unpopulated area. Preliminary data indicate six crew members died and one was injured and evacuated to hospital. The ministry stressed the aircraft carried no munitions, and an Aerospace Forces commission flew to the site. Russian media later reported the crew steered the plane away from residential areas before it went down.

On 29 September the director of the firecracker plant in the village of Kubrinsk, Pereslavl-Zalessky district, Yaroslavl region, was detained following the fire. He is to be taken to Pereslavl-Zalessky for investigative actions before a preventive measure is chosen, and a criminal case has been opened over violations of industrial safety requirements. The fire broke out on 28 September, a regional emergency was declared, the death toll reached 14, one woman was hospitalized, flames spread to two buildings, and more than 100 people and 40 vehicles fought the blaze. Governor Mikhail Yevrayev said power to residents and social facilities was restored by 02:00 on 29 September and door-to-door damage assessments are under way. Compared with the 28 September report of 14 deaths, what is new is the director's detention, the criminal case and the restoration of power supply.

According to the Russian Defence Ministry, between 20:00 Moscow time on 28 September and 08:00 on 29 September air defenses destroyed 129 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions — Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Oryol and Smolensk regions and Crimea — as well as over the Black Sea. The ministry gave no details on ground casualties in this report. For comparison, 14 drones were downed during the day on 28 September and 254 overnight into 28 September, though the coverage and reporting windows differ and the figures are not directly comparable.

The Belgorod region operational headquarters reported on 29 September that a drone detonation in the village of Besonovka wounded three men: one with a penetrating chest wound and shrapnel wounds to the abdomen, forearm and shin is in serious condition at the regional clinical hospital; two others with penetrating wounds to the abdomen, arms and legs were taken to Belgorod City Hospital No. 2. In the village of Dobroye, an FPV drone detonated at an enterprise, damaging a truck; in Shebekino a social facility was hit, with windows and the facade damaged; a commercial site was damaged in Grayvoron; and equipment was damaged at a plant in Proletarsky, Rakityansky district. Private homes and vehicles were also damaged.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak chaired a fuel market meeting on 29 September with the energy, agriculture, transport and antimonopoly ministries, the State Duma, the Federation Council, industry companies and regional heads. The meeting stressed the need for swift decisions and measures to eliminate local shortages and stabilize domestic fuel prices, with agencies told to review supply in the Omsk and Tomsk regions and tighten price monitoring. Supply to the Irkutsk, Leningrad and Penza regions and the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic was reviewed separately. The Energy Ministry reported on production-consumption balances and product stocks and prepared risk scenarios; the antimonopoly service continues inspecting supply chains.

VK data show that more than 42,000 creators joined the monetization programme for shopping posts (shoppable posts and clips with purchase links) over a year, earning a combined 1.6 billion rubles, with daily reach of 30 million users. The top annual earner made 33 million rubles — a fashion and style blogger, Olga Delevski. The single highest-earning post, about household chemicals for summer houses, brought a home-improvement community author 5.5 million rubles. Travel, design and car communities and personal blogs were among the most profitable. VK social networks COO Andrei Gostev noted that personal profiles without communities have also learned to monetize recommendations.

Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said on 29 September that Russia is preparing to launch HPV vaccination, with preparatory procedures starting next year and actual vaccination of 12–13-year-old girls planned for the second half of the year. The domestically produced vaccine, made by Nanolek under the name Tsegardeks, is a quadrivalent shot covering HPV types 6, 11, 16 and 18 (types 16 and 18 are associated with cervical and other cancers) given by intramuscular injection. The first batch of 30,000 doses reaches medical facilities at the end of September 2026, and a second production line coming on stream in 2027 will lift capacity above 3 million doses a year. Full-cycle production is based in the Kirov region, with total investment of 7.5 billion rubles, including a 950 million ruble concessional loan from the Industrial Development Fund. The course is three doses, with a two-dose schedule for children aged 9–13. Until now the market depended entirely on imports.

In a Kontinental Hockey League regular-season Moscow derby on 29 September, CSKA beat SKA 6:5 at home. Captain Pavel Karnukhov scored a hat-trick in the 11th, 38th and 40th minutes, with Nikolai Kovalenko (14th, 23rd) and Dmitry Buchelnikov (45th) also scoring; SKA's goals came from Vasily Atanasov (6th, 22nd), Rocco Grimaldi (26th), Nikita Dishkovsky (47th) and Vladislav Romanov (50th). CSKA moved to 14 points from ten games and second in the Western Conference, while SKA have 14 points from nine games in third.

VTB First Deputy Chairman Dmitry Pyanov told reporters on 29 September that the deal with RWB, the entity combining Wildberries and Russ, may be closed near the end of October, and asked the market to rely on the statement by bank chairman Andrey Kostin last week. Kostin had said strategic plans for cooperation with Wildberries were unchanged, only the timing of document preparation had slipped slightly, and all agreements would be completed within the next month. Under disclosed terms VTB acquires 5% of WB Bank plus stakes in fintech assets, digital projects and adjacent financial services; SPO volume, price and anchor investors are unchanged, with the earlier disclosed issue size at RUB 300-400bn and placement price at RUB 87. The report also notes the bank shares have not traded above RUB 54 over the past month and hit an all-time low of RUB 49.44 mid-month. Applicability to Chinese sellers is unconfirmed: the report does not say whether the deal changes platform payout, wallet or settlement terms.

The Bank of Russia Board decided on 29 September that banks may apply reduced coefficients when calculating credit risk on loans financing projects to protect critical infrastructure facilities from air attack threats: 30% for investment-grade borrowers and 50% for other borrowers. Macroprudential add-ons may also be waived on such exposures. The decision covers corporate borrowers as well as regions and municipalities and runs from publication through 31 December 2026 inclusive; the regulator said the measures may later be made permanent. Critical infrastructure is defined under Presidential Decree No. 604 of 24 August 2026. Impact on Chinese sellers is inferential: financing costs for protecting warehouses and sorting centres may fall, but the relief targets companies and authorities, so whether foreign sellers benefit indirectly is unconfirmed.

Lenta.ru reported on 29 September, citing Mikhail Belousov, co-founder of the KargoTekh freight exchange and founder of the Marshal group, that Russia still faces a shortage of long-haul truck drivers despite rising wages and more applicants. According to hh.ru, drivers posted or updated more than 159,000 resumes in the first quarter of 2026, up 34% on the quarter, yet the staffing gap on long-distance routes persists. Belousov explains that the issue is not only the number of people holding the right licence category: a long-haul driver spends much time on the road, carries responsibility for vehicle and cargo and works to a strict schedule, which is less attractive to young specialists. For sellers the effect is cost-side: trucks idling while waiting for staff carry holding costs and delivery times lengthen, companies must raise wages and trip bonuses, and the higher logistics cost is passed into goods prices. The report does not separate domestic from cross-border routes and gives no figure for freight rate increases.

RBC reported on 29 September that the Finance Ministry proposes a substantial expansion of the list of risk indicators for violations in cash-register (KKT) oversight, from 3 to 10 items. The indicators are meant to flag possible concealment of revenue; settlement only in cash or only cashless is named explicitly. Compared with the 28 September report that the Ministry had drafted an order expanding KKT risk indicators, what is new here is the specific count (from 3 to 10) and the wording of one indicator. The full text is behind a paid subscription and only the headline and lead were retrieved this run; the complete 10-item list and the effective date were not obtained. For Chinese sellers with a Russian legal entity using cash registers the direction of impact is confirmed; for those selling only through marketplaces without a Russian entity, applicability is unconfirmed.

Vedomosti reported on 29 September that a presidential decree of 28 September transferred 100% of the stakes in Metro Cash & Carry, Metro Warehouse Noginsk and Retail Property 5 into the interim management of UK Torg RUS. The company was registered on 8 September 2026 with charter capital of RUB 10,000 at the address of the Metro Russian head office; its general director and sole founder is Johannes Tolay, who has headed Metro in Russia since March 2023. Compared with the 28 September report that Metro Russian assets were placed under external management, what is new here: the managing structure is controlled by incumbent management, second-quarter revenue was RUB 62.1bn (+1.3% year on year), the chain ranks ninth among Russian food retailers and the Russian business is valued at RUB 75-80bn. Metro said operations continue as usual and obligations to suppliers, customers and employees are being met; lawyers interviewed stress this is neither nationalisation nor preparation for a sale. For Chinese suppliers to Metro, the report does not say whether contracts or payment terms change, so applicability is unconfirmed.

Kommersant reported on 29 September that the board of VseInstrumenty.ru, an online retailer of tools and building materials, approved a share buyback of up to RUB 500m running from 1 November 2026 to 31 December 2027, intended to fund a long-term employee incentive programme. The shares fell on the announcement day: 4.12% to RUB 71.43 at 12:05 Moscow time and 5.1% to RUB 70.68 by 14:53. Oleg Bezumov, the company financial strategy director, said the current valuation does not fully reflect the results achieved, financial stability and long-term potential. The piece is marked as prepared by an AI assistant. The read-across for category selection is indirect: a leading online tools retailer choosing buyback over expansion is usually read as a cautious view on category growth; the report gives no marketplace sales data for the category.

Vladimir Putin signed a decree on 29 September amending Decree No. 193, in force since 1 April: the restriction on taking cash roubles out of Russia to EAEU countries is extended to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; the individual limit is cut from the equivalent of USD 100,000 at the Central Bank rate to RUB 1m; companies and sole traders are banned from taking cash to these countries regardless of amount. Exceptions cover exit through international airports designated by the government with bank-certified statements confirming cash withdrawal from accounts, carriage by companies within international transport whose departure and destination points are outside Russia, and diplomatic purposes. On violation, individuals forfeit the amount above RUB 1m while companies and sole traders forfeit the full amount. The government is instructed to agree with the Central Bank within three months on accounting rules for exported cash roubles. For Chinese sellers: those operating through a Russian legal entity or sole trader and relying on carrying cash are confirmed affected; for those repatriating only through banking channels the impact is inferential and applicability is unconfirmed.

The Bank of Russia reset official rates on the coverage day; effective 30 September the rates are USD 84.4283, EUR 96.0625 and CNY 12.5764 roubles. Against the group effective 29 September, the dollar is up 2.08 kopecks, the euro down 18.74 kopecks and the yuan up 1.35 kopecks. On the same day the exchange-traded yuan stood at RUB 12.468 at 19:00, down 12.2 kopecks from the previous close. The two are different measures: the official rate is the next-day group while the exchange quote is same-day spot, so this report does not merge their direction. Since 8 June the official euro rate is derived from the rouble-dollar rate and the ECB euro-dollar rate at 15:30 Moscow time. The practical effect for sellers is minimal: with dollar-priced purchases and rouble revenue, the difference on a thousand-rouble order is under one rouble.

Anton Stepanov, head of the AI expertise centre at the Bank of Russia financial technologies department, said at a round table of the Federation Council committee on constitutional legislation and state building on 29 September that the regulator is closely following the development of AI agent technology and is currently exploring options for a balanced introduction of such agents in the financial market, particularly in payments. He gave no timeline, scope or draft regulatory framework. There is no direct impact on Chinese sellers now; this is a forward-looking regulatory signal: if implemented, it could change payment acceptance and payout processing on marketplaces, and applicability is unconfirmed.

Kommersant calculated on 29 September from insurance broker data that in the first half of 2026 payouts under domestic Russian trade credit insurance rose by roughly a third to more than RUB 1.1bn, with the number of payouts up 10% to 186 cases. For comparison, 2025 saw 335 cases and RUB 1.7bn of payouts and 2024 saw 150 cases and RUB 1.05bn. A broker survey of more than 40 companies holding cover found almost 40% of respondents reporting insufficient credit limits, including withdrawal or reduction, and another 10% reporting non-standard projects and difficulties finding security. Market participants expect tighter terms and possibly higher tariffs in 2027, plus the first payouts or court rulings on losses linked to attacks on logistics facilities and subsequent non-payment of receivables. For sellers this means rising payment-term risk and insurance cost when supplying Russian wholesale or retail counterparties on credit; the item covers domestic trade and does not address cross-border sellers.

The September survey by inFOM commissioned by the Bank of Russia shows household inflation expectations one year out at 14.2%, versus 13.7% in August, above the 2024-2025 readings; five-year-ahead expectations fell from 12.4% to 10.7%; observed annual inflation rose from 14.3% to 15.1%. The consumer sentiment index rose to 96 points (+3 points) but remains below 2023-2025 levels; the share of respondents preferring to save rather than spend rose to 52.9%. Business price expectations rose overall, driven by industry, services and construction, while agriculture and trade declined; the average pace of producer price growth rose to 7%. Impact on sellers is inferential: rising inflation expectations together with a higher propensity to save usually point to weaker demand in discretionary categories and greater sensitivity to discounts.