Russia E-commerce Intelligence Daily 2026-08-24

Day at a glance

Drone attacks remain intense: Russia's Defense Ministry said over 1,100 Ukrainian drones were downed in 24 hours, 269 in 12 hours (cross-checked); civilian casualties include 1 dead and 6 injured in Belgorod, a woman killed in Tula, clergy and volunteers wounded in DNR, and 4 in ICU in Sevastopol.
Putin said the fuel market situation "is being resolved and under the prime minister's control"; Ozon's Orenburg warehouse suspended operations after drone debris and a fire.
Diplomacy: Russia's Foreign Ministry denied a British Times report that Moscow plans to downgrade ties with London; Belarus and North Korea will sign a visa-waiver pact; Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan signed an "Eternal Friendship" treaty.
Society: 40,000+ in Pskov region and 9,000+ in Novgorod region left without power by a hurricane; the St. Petersburg warehouse fire shrank to 20,000 sq m; Klyuchevskoy volcano ejected a 6 km ash column.
Sport & culture: Krasnodar won its fifth straight RPL match, Spartak beat Zenit; Lando Norris won the F1 Dutch Grand Prix.

Central Bank official rates2026-08-22 · cbr.ru

USD/RUB82.9211

EUR/RUB96.8601

CNY/RUB12.3343

Politics and Governance

[Update] Putin on Nord Stream: second line was originally planned via Poland, later rerouted under the Baltic

In an interview with Zubarin, Putin said the second Nord Stream line was originally planned to run through Poland with facilities already prepared, but the route was changed to under the Baltic Sea; he attributed Tusk's defense of the pipeline bombing to economic rationale. Compared with the Kremlin's 8/22 "shock and bewilderment," this is Putin's own further explanation.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 13:46

Boris Ebzeev, co-author of Russia's Constitution and former CEC member, dies

Boris Ebzeev, one of the co-authors of Russia's Constitution and a former member of the Central Election Commission, has died; confirmed by multiple Russian media.

Dual sources verified 📰 Интерфакс / Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 22:18

Economy and Finance

Putin: fuel market situation "is being resolved and under the prime minister's control"

Putin said the domestic fuel market situation is being resolved and is under the control of Russia's prime minister. The remark comes amid continued fuel-supply pressure in southern regions.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 13:42

Global investors poured $11 billion into gold funds since early August

According to Kommersant, since early August global investors have put about $11 billion into gold ETFs and funds, reflecting rising safe-haven demand.

Single source 📰 Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 19:00

Foreign Relations

Russian Foreign Ministry denies Times report that Moscow plans to downgrade ties with London

Russia's Foreign Ministry denied a British Times report that Moscow plans to downgrade the level of diplomatic relations with London, calling the speculation unfounded.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 14:14

Belarus and North Korea to sign bilateral visa-waiver agreement

Belarus's Foreign Ministry announced that Belarus and North Korea will soon sign a bilateral visa-waiver agreement.

Dual sources verified 📰 Интерфакс / Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 22:55

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan sign "Eternal Friendship" treaty; Aliyev says TRIPP to launch in Armenia late 2026–early 2027

Aliyev and Mirziyoyev signed the Uzbekistan–Azerbaijan Treaty of Eternal Friendship in Tashkent; Aliyev also said the Zangezur/TRIPP corridor project is planned to begin construction in Armenia in late 2026 to early 2027.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 22:32

Kazakhstan holds first election to the Kurultai (new unicameral parliament); turnout 74.19%

Kazakhstan completed the first election to its new unicameral parliament, the "Kurultai"; turnout reached 74.19% by the time polls closed (the Adilet party leads in polls).

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 18:41

Kremlin: if Putin and Trump both attend the APEC summit they will inevitably talk

The Kremlin noted that if Putin and Trump both attend this year's APEC summit, they will inevitably hold talks. The wording is conditional; no meeting has been confirmed.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 11:23

Society and Welfare

40,000+ in Pskov and 9,000+ in Novgorod left without power by hurricane; 80% restored in Kaliningrad

Over 40,000 residents of Pskov region lost power due to a hurricane; in Novgorod region more than 9,000 remain without power from the storm; in Kaliningrad region 80% of previously disconnected consumers have had power restored.

Dual sources verified 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 12:49

Russian test pilots' average pension up about 47,500 rubles since 2022

Per Social Fund data (cited by RIA), the average test-pilot pension reached 175,562 rubles in July 2026, up 47,498 rubles from 128,064 in 2022; amounts differ for working (156,749) and non-working (181,925) pensioners.

Official source 📰 Лента.ру (со ссылкой на Соцфонд / РИА) 🕒 MSK 01:47

Emergencies and Incidents

Defense Ministry: over 1,100 Ukrainian drones downed in 24h; 269 in 12 hours

Russia's Defense Ministry said air defenses destroyed over 1,100 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours; separately, 269 were downed across regions in the 12 hours since Sunday morning.

Dual sources verified 📰 Интерфакс / Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 12:42

Drone attacks cause civilian casualties across regions: Belgorod 1 dead 6 injured, Tula woman killed, DNR clergy/volunteers hurt, Sevastopol 4 in ICU

In Belgorod region a drone attack killed 1 and injured 6 (a Shebekino resident and a teenager also wounded); in Tula a woman was killed in a drone strike; in DNR clergy and volunteers were wounded in a Ukrainian strike; in Sevastopol a girl was injured and 4 are in ICU; in Energodar 2 were hurt when a cafe was hit.

Dual sources verified 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 12:55

St. Petersburg warehouse fire area reduced to 20,000 sq m

The burned area of a warehouse fire in St. Petersburg, after earlier expansion, has fallen to about 20,000 sq m; firefighting continues.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 15:55

Klyuchevskoy volcano ejects 6 km ash column

Klyuchevskoy volcano in Kamchatka ejected an ash column to about 6 km height, prompting an aviation alert.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 13:22

[Update] Tourists trapped in Kamchatka nature park evacuated to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Tourists previously trapped in a Kamchatka nature park by washed-out roads have been evacuated to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. Compared with 8/22 ("over 100 tourists trapped"), this is evacuation progress.

Official source 📰 Интерфакс 🕒 MSK 10:43

Science, Education, Culture, Sport

RPL: Krasnodar's fifth straight win; Spartak beats Zenit

Krasnodar beat Makhachkala Dynamo 5:1 for a fifth consecutive RPL win from the start; Spartak defeated Zenit.

Dual sources verified 📰 Sport-Интерфакс / Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 19:53

F1 Dutch GP: McLaren's Lando Norris wins

McLaren driver Lando Norris won the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

Dual sources verified 📰 Sport-Интерфакс / Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 18:57

Russia takes second place in team event at European championship in Zagreb

The Russian team placed second in the team event at the European championship held in Zagreb.

Single source 📰 Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 20:16

Pushkin Museum opens "Vajrayana: Buddhist Art of Russia" exhibition

The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow opened the exhibition "Vajrayana: Buddhist Art of Russia."

Single source 📰 Коммерсантъ 🕒 MSK 18:53

E-com Brief

Day at a glance

On the coverage day (Aug 23, Sunday) no verifiable e-commerce items appeared in Russian whitelist media; only the official exchange rate is retained, other sections omitted per the宁缺毋滥 principle.
CBR official rates (weekend carry-over of the Aug 22 effective rate): USD 1 = RUB 82.9211, EUR 1 = RUB 96.8601, CNY 1 = RUB 12.3343 — the benchmark for cross-border payout conversion.

Cross-border & Payments

CBR official rates (23 Aug, effective since 22 Aug): USD 82.9211₽ / EUR 96.8601₽ / CNY 12.3343₽

The Central Bank of Russia set effective 22 Aug 2026 official rates: USD 82.9211₽, EUR 96.8601₽, CNY 12.3343₽. 23 Aug is a Sunday; the CBR conventionally carries the last business day's (22 Aug) quote, so values are identical to 22 Aug; the yuan remains below the 21 Aug level of 12.4057. Cross-border sellers should use these official rates for revenue conversion, pricing and costing — do not use estimated or third-party rates.

Official source 📰 ЦБ РФ 🕒 MSK（自 22.08 生效·周末沿用）