Ozon to charge pickup-point owners an agency fee from 1 December, cap…

The government press service said President Putin backed Prime Minister Mishustin's proposals to change the cabinet lineup. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov is to combine his post with a deputy PM role, Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin is nominated as deputy PM, First Deputy Finance Minister Irina Okladnikova is to head the government staff, Primorye Governor Oleg Kozhemyako is nominated as deputy PM and presidential envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District, and Rosaviatsia head Dmitry Yadrov is proposed as transport minister. Dmitry Peskov said sitting deputy PMs will keep working until new presidential decrees are issued.

Communist Party MP Anzhelika Glazkova has submitted a bill to the State Duma to rename Volgograd back to Stalingrad and St. Petersburg back to Leningrad; the document is listed in the lower house's electronic database. United Russia deputy Vitaly Milonov criticised the initiative, while Senator Airat Gibatdinov defended the author.

Chechnya's deputy prime minister and minister for national policy, external relations, press and information Ilman Vakhidov said no separate unit created by Adam Kadyrov exists and that the account cited by media is not an official source. A photo had circulated online showing the younger Kadyrov surrounded by armed men, captioned as a unit called Team K-13.

Unlike the 18 October Foreign Ministry announcement of plans, the meeting took place on 19 October: Sergey Lavrov told Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran that Vladimir Putin expects him at the Gas Exporting Countries Forum summit in Moscow in late October and hopes for a bilateral meeting, continuing earlier talks in Bishkek and at the SCO summit. Parlamentskaya Gazeta notes the presidents last met on 8 October at the CIS summit in Turkmenistan.

FPÖ energy spokesman Paul Hammerl said in a party press release that the European gas price has reached EUR 89.57 per MWh, the highest since late 2022 and roughly triple the level at the start of the year, while Austrian storage is only 69% full. He demanded the government trigger the EU crisis clause to suspend sanctions on Russian gas, scrap national CO2 pricing and cut the gas levy, which he estimates would save a household using 15,000 kWh a year about EUR 270 annually.

Prime Minister Mintautas Sinkevičius said Lithuania will open consultations with NATO on downing objects that violate its airspace without visual confirmation, expecting progress within a month; currently a target cannot be engaged if it is not visible because of cloud. Earlier, in the village of Juodženiai in Pasvalys district, authorities found possible drone debris that damaged a car, and Ukraine acknowledged its drone entered Lithuanian airspace.

Kommersant reported that the over-the-counter dollar fell to 82.56 roubles on 19 October, its lowest since 24 August, down 2.9 roubles over six sessions, with the yuan on the Moscow Exchange touching 12.35 roubles. The CBR is buying about 12.1 billion roubles of currency a day under the budget rule, the most since January 2022, but exporters are selling more. Analysts cited in the piece see the dollar heading toward 82 roubles by month-end and mostly expect the key rate to stay at 14% at Friday's CBR meeting.

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he hopes Russia will bring some diesel to market, adding that Russia has not shipped a single batch since the agreement. Putin and Trump reached a deal on 9 October on Russian diesel supplies to the global market, and the US Treasury issued a sanctions exception valid until 7 April.

Rospotrebnadzor's press service said the monkeypox situation in Russia is under control, with enough modern test systems to detect the virus including new genetic variants and equipped infectious-disease facilities. Citing WHO data, it said more than 193,000 cases were registered worldwide from 2022 to September 2026, and more than 14,000 since the start of 2026. St Petersburg's Botkin Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital said on 19 October that all those hospitalised tested positive for monkeypox, in mild to moderate condition.

The FSIN draft rules allow, where technically possible, automatic translation of foreign-language calls by converting audio to text and translating it, replacing the current requirement to bring in an interpreter. Existing rules are retained: an application naming the other party, monitored calls with participants informed in advance, termination for threats, abuse, codes or criminal slang, and a 15-minute call limit.

Voronezh Region Governor Aleksandr Gusev said a four-year-old boy hospitalised in extremely serious condition after a drone attack on the outskirts of Voronezh on the morning of 28 September has died in intensive care. He said doctors fought for the child's life for nearly a month but the injuries left almost no chance. According to Russian authorities, at least 20 drones were shot down over the region that night; the boy's sister was also injured and is being treated in Moscow.

The Emergencies Ministry's Krasnodar Krai directorate said a private two-storey house on Roza Street in central Sochi caught fire, with the blaze covering 300 square metres and taking about an hour and a half to extinguish. Ten people were evacuated and no one was hurt; 49 ministry staff and 14 vehicles were deployed. A cafe called Dzhikichan is located next door.

Bryansk Region Governor Egor Kovalchuk said a 64-year-old man who went mushroom picking in a forest near the village of Staiki was wounded by a mine and taken to hospital with multiple injuries. He urged residents not to enter forests adjacent to the special military operation zone or areas with access restrictions, and not to approach or move any munition they find.

Samvel Karapetyan's Tashir Capital called the Armenian government's 15 October decision allowing the nationalisation of Electric Networks of Armenia unlawful, saying it violates the order of an emergency arbitrator appointed on 22 July 2025 by the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce Arbitration Institute that barred any steps to deprive the company of its property. The statement also cites the annulment of the company's licence in November 2025 and demands compensation for investors.

Citing an S&P Global review, Kommersant wrote that disruption at Black Sea ports has cut Russian steel billet supply to the global market by about 200,000 tonnes a month, with Saudi Arabia and Turkey buying roughly 500,000 tonnes elsewhere. By mid-October there were no billet offers at Black Sea ports; cargoes for Turkey were offered at USD 520-525 per tonne CFR while buyers sought USD 5-10 lower and no deals were reported. Russian exporters are rerouting via the Baltic at higher logistics cost.

FIFA's disciplinary committee suspended Egypt head coach Hossam Hassan and his brother and team manager Ibrahim Hassan for three matches each, and midfielder Mostafa Ziko for five, over conduct after the World Cup round-of-16 match against Argentina. Egypt lost 2-3 after leading by two goals until the 79th minute; afterwards the coach called the officiating deliberate corruption and Ziko said the referee had come to fix the match. The Egyptian FA has asked FIFA for the reasoning ahead of an appeal.

According to the award's website, former Arsenal and France striker Thierry Henry and British presenter Kate Scott will host the Ballon d'Or ceremony, to be held on 26 October at the London Palladium. The pair co-host football programmes on CDS Sports. The report names Bayern Munich's Harry Kane and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal as the leading contenders this season.

Supported by the Internet Development Institute, Russia has premiered its first social vertical micro-drama, Entry Point, about preventing teenagers from being drawn into crime under the guise of easy money. Blogger Artur Babich plays the high-school lead, actor Nikita Kologrivyy plays the recruiter, and actor Dmitry Dyuzhev and blogger Goofy Medalin also appear. The creators describe it as a digital-safety guide.

Ozon confirmed to Interfax that from 1 December it will start charging pickup-point (PVZ) owners an agency fee. The press service explained that relations between Ozon and PVZ owners rest on an agency contract and that, under the law, agency services must be paid for, so "to comply with the law" the company is introducing a minimal fee from 1 December. The fee will not exceed 1% of the owner's reward for orders; for points operating less than a year it will be 1 rouble. Information about the plans had earlier circulated in Telegram channels: 125 roubles a month for points operating one to two years, 275 roubles for two to three years, 550 roubles for more than three years, and from 1 July 2027 the fee for long-running points rising to 2,200 roubles a month; Interfax explicitly states these figures come from Telegram channels and were not confirmed by Ozon. The report gives no assessment of the impact on seller rates, delivery times or the size of the PVZ network.

Vedomosti, relaying RIA Novosti's interview with Ozon's press service about the agency fee for pickup points from 1 December, also reports that, according to the marketplace's reply, Yandex Market does not intend to introduce a similar charge, while Wildberries says its terms for pickup-point owners do not involve an agency fee. Vedomosti notes that opening a Wildberries pickup point requires the partner to lease premises, refurbish them to brand-book standards, buy equipment and furniture, and cover operating costs after launch. Interfax published a separate piece the same evening quoting Wildberries' press service: the marketplace runs a support programme for new pickup-point owners under which it tops up the difference if the point's actual monthly reward falls below a set fixed amount. Neither report gives the number of pickup points at the three platforms or assesses how the difference affects last-mile cost.

Kommersant reports that, by ATI.SU's count, demand for domestic road freight measured in requests rose 20% year on year in Q3 and 24% versus Q2; Cargo.Run CEO Timur Karimov says weighted-average rates for tarpaulin and refrigerated transport rose 20% in Q3. On the China lane, the head of logistics at a customs and logistics firm, Anna Rostovtseva, confirms tarpaulin rates from China rose 15–20% in Q3, citing fuel disruptions and the rerouting of flows to the Manzhouli–Zabaykalsk crossing because of difficulties obtaining entry bookings on the Kazakh side, which lengthened mileage. PEK deputy director Vadim Filatov says that as of 13 October a full truckload (FTL) from a Shanghai warehouse to a Moscow terminal costs $15.4–16.6k per trip; he adds that demand on the China lane grew 18% versus August and rates 10–15%, and that from 16 October PEK expects demand to rise a further 20–30%. ATI.SU data show import requests grew 31% from China and 28% from Uzbekistan, while export requests fell 21% year on year (Belarus −15%, Kazakhstan −22%, Kyrgyzstan −68%). No rate breakdown by product category or border-crossing times is given.

Vedomosti, citing logistics company Fesco (part of Rosatom), reports that from January to September the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port (VMTP) handled more than 674,000 TEU, 15% above the same period last year. The paper says growth was driven by import cargo flow, mainly involving China; the volume of cargo shipped to other countries rose 33% year on year. In summer the port's monthly container turnover exceeded 80,000 TEU, and August set a record at more than 84,500 TEU. Over nine months, 1,596 container trains departed from VMTP, up 26% year on year, carrying more than 247,000 TEU of cargo, up 38%. VMTP managing director Ivan Radchenko said the port expects market conditions to remain unchanged to year-end. No separate figures for the China lane, cargo value by category or freight rates are given.

Interfax, citing the Russian Energy Ministry, reports that Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, presenting the "Energy Development" state programme to the State Duma budget and tax committee during consideration of the 2027–2029 budget, set out its financing: about 106.8bn roubles over three years — 39.4bn in 2027, 33.1bn in 2028 and 34.3bn in 2029. Within that, 20.4bn roubles is earmarked for subsidising petroleum product supplies to remote areas of the Far Eastern and Siberian federal districts; 20.9bn for the "Diversification of Energy Resource Exports" sub-programme; 64.6bn for the "Meeting Domestic Demand for Energy Resources" sub-programme; and a further 32.5bn as an FSK subsidy to Rosseti for improving grid reliability. The report does not say how the subsidies feed through to transport costs or freight rates, nor does it address the impact on cross-border sellers.

Interfax reports that the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has drafted a government resolution launching, from 1 December 2026, an experiment extending mandatory marking to cash register equipment, computers, system units and a range of other radio-electronic products, as well as household appliances. According to the published draft text, the experiment runs until 31 May 2028. It covers cash registers, ATMs, coin sorting and counting machines, calculating machines, calculators, computing equipment, data input, output and storage devices, video game consoles, telecommunications equipment, household appliances, fans, air conditioners, electric signalling and traffic control devices, electric machines and apparatus with individual functions, microscopes and diffraction apparatus. The report recalls that in summer 2026 the ministry said it was extending and widening the electronics marking experiment into 2027, originally planned to start in September and end on 31 August 2027. Mandatory marking of certain radio-electronic products has applied in Russia since 1 March 2026, currently covering laptops, smartphones, mobile and other telephone devices. The cost of codes, the reporting procedure and the consequences of not taking part are not given.

Interfax reports that the Russian Civic Chamber, in its opinion on the draft 2027–2029 federal budget, proposes regulating the VAT refund procedure when goods bought from foreign online stores and marketplaces are returned — such goods are due to be subject to VAT at 22% from 2027 under the current plan. The Chamber views the introduction of the 22% rate itself positively, saying it is aimed at levelling competition and supporting domestic producers, including protection against unfair competition from foreign goods on marketplaces. However, it points to a lack of sufficient clarity in the refund mechanism where the sale contract is terminated, the goods go back to the seller, or money must be returned to the consumer; in its view this uncertainty may create additional property costs for consumers and ambiguity in law enforcement in return disputes. The opinion proposes that further work on the bill comprehensively address VAT treatment on returns, including the grounds, deadlines and mechanism for refund or offset of the amount paid, and define how the consumer, the foreign seller, the platform operator and customs interact. The report also notes that the relevant Tax Code amendments (No. 617-9) were submitted to the State Duma as part of the budget package and provide for VAT at 22% from 2027 on e-commerce goods bought by individuals from third countries, with electronic trading platforms acting as tax agents. The explanatory note estimates additional budget revenue at 75bn roubles a year. The report does not define the scope of application to Chinese sellers.

Kommersant reports that China's Ministry of Commerce has adjusted export control measures on drones and related technologies. The new restrictions, approved by the State Council and the Central Military Commission, take effect on 18 November. The list includes certain types of UAVs and technologies for autonomous flight, radio communications, control, and anti-jamming satellite navigation. According to the report, an export licence will be required for drones able to fly beyond the operator's direct line of sight and stay airborne 30 minutes to 3 hours in gusts of at least 12.86 m/s, for aircraft with a range of 300 km or more, and for UAVs spraying more than 80 litres of aerosol. Controls on supplies of piston, rotary and turbojet engines are also tightened, including models above 16 kW and with thrust from 400 newtons. Exporters will have to declare end users. The ministry stressed that these items have "clear dual military and civilian use" and that the measures serve national security, international obligations and support for civilian drone applications. No licensing timelines, fees or treatment of existing contracts are given.

Interfax reports that Deputy Finance Minister Aleksei Sazanov told journalists that Yandex has not yet asked for tax support measures after drone attacks on its data centres. Asked whether tax support measures for Yandex were being considered, he replied: "There have been no requests yet, I don't know. There are no requests yet." The report recalls that between 8 and 11 October three Yandex data centres were damaged in drone attacks — in Sasovo, Ryazan region, Kaluga and Vladimir; the Sasovo and Vladimir facilities were completely shut down and several modules at the Kaluga data centre were put out of action. The incidents caused disruptions both to Yandex's own services and to other resources on the Russian internet. Whether the ministry has carried out its own assessment of support measures, and the size of the losses, are not stated.

Interfax reports that a group of State Duma deputies and one senator submitted bill No. 13748-9 proposing a 0% VAT rate for children's books of an educational and upbringing nature. The zero rate would apply from 1 January 2027 to children's books on a list to be approved by the government, excluding advertising products and products of foreign manufacture. According to the explanatory note, the aim is to support children's book producers and reduce the final cost for families with children; book products related to education, science and culture are currently taxed at 10%, and children's literature falls into this category. The authors said they could not estimate the budget's possible lost revenue because it depends on demand. The attached government opinion of 24 September concerned an earlier version that provided a zero rate for children's and scientific literature and removed educational, scientific and cultural books from the 10% preferential rate; the government said this would cancel the benefit for books other than children's literature and sharply raise publishers' costs, and objected to applying the zero rate via an approved list rather than by criteria for inclusion in the preferential category. According to government data, in 2025 publishers applied the 10% rate to more than 106,000 book titles. The submitted version limits the zero rate to children's literature and does not touch the current 10% rate for book products. No timeline for compiling the list, nor the treatment of imported children's publications, is given.

The Central Bank of Russia's official rates interface returns, for 20 October 2026, the following rates: US dollar 82.8504 roubles, euro 93.2316 roubles, Chinese yuan 12.3869 roubles (nominal 1 for all three). Interfax reported at 19:41 the same day that the Central Bank lowered the official US dollar rate from 20 October by 76.73 kopecks to 82.8504 roubles and the euro rate by 48.71 kopecks to 93.2316 roubles, while the official yuan rate for Tuesday was set at 12.3869 roubles per yuan, 10.81 kopecks below the 19 October rate. The set in force during the coverage day was still the one dated 17 October 2026 in the interface (dollar 83.6177, euro 93.7187, yuan 12.4950 roubles) — a request with the date 19 October returns the same set. The interface does not return a publication time.

Interfax, citing data from the Autostat agency, reports that Russia's used passenger car market returned to year-on-year growth in September 2026 and posted its highest transaction count since the start of the year: 557,100 used passenger cars were sold in the month, 0.7% more than in the same month a year earlier and 7.5% more than in August, while just over 4.5m were sold in nine months, 2% more than in the first three quarters of 2025. Lada leads with 123,100 units, followed by Toyota at 60,000, then Kia and Hyundai at 30,900 and 29,700, with Volkswagen fifth at 26,500. According to the agency, all top-ten brands grew month on month, most strongly BMW (+10.7%) and least Kia (+1.4%); against last year only four brands are positive, with Honda (+14.6%) and Volkswagen (+13.4%) best, six marques down, Kia (−6.5%) and Lada (−5.9%) worst. The top four model positions are all Lada, with the Kia Rio (10,900 units) the most popular used foreign car in September. No data on marketplaces or cross-border channels is given.

Lenta.ru, citing the Izvestia newspaper's report on the Accounts Chamber forecast, says Russia's consumer price growth is unlikely to reach the Central Bank's 4% target next year. The Chamber believes a possible weakening of the rouble against the dollar, a recovery in imports, tariff indexation and rising consumer demand could all hinder disinflation. The report says the forecast diverges from the expectations of the Ministry of Economic Development and the Central Bank's August forecast: the regulator believes the inflation target can be met in 2027, while the auditors stress that the opinion on the draft 2027–2029 financial plan does not set out the factors that would deliver such a slowdown given domestic conditions. Experts quoted say growing consumer demand gives sellers freer rein to pass costs into prices with less risk of losing customers, while higher imports combined with a weaker rouble will make foreign goods more expensive in Russia. The report also recalls that the regulator's analysts worsened their forecast in mid-October: inflation will be 5% next year, and 4% will not be reached before 2029. No direct estimates for specific product categories or retail pricing are given.