Russia E-commerce Intelligence

On Aug 29 the government extended the producer-level export ban on diesel, marine fuel and gasoil to Sep 30, 2026 inclusive; the restriction had been due to expire Aug 31. The stated reason is 'maintaining a stable situation on the domestic fuel market'. A general fuel export ban remains in force until Jan 31, 2027. For sellers this is a cost-side issue: diesel is the main fuel for trunk haulage and last-mile delivery, so the extension means domestic supply is prioritised and price pressure contained — but also that fuel tightness is not resolved. September inbound and peak-season logistics quotes remain exposed to fuel costs; leave headroom when costing fulfilment.

A published government decree extends the voluntary labelling experiment for semi-finished and frozen food products — due to end Aug 31, 2026 — by six months to Feb 28, 2027. The deadline for participants to finish trials and submit reports was also moved to Feb 20, 2027. The product list was widened to include frozen fish, young cheeses and curd, animal intestines and stomachs, ice cream, and mineral and sparkling waters. The decree takes effect on the day of official publication. Key point: this remains a voluntary pilot, not a mandatory requirement — but food is a high-frequency marketplace category, and each expansion of 'Honest Sign' coverage typically precedes a mandatory phase. Sellers in frozen foods, dairy and beverages should check whether their SKUs fall inside the pilot list and track the mandatory-transition timetable to avoid forced delisting.

Sber deputy board chairman Anatoly Popov told TASS ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF, Vladivostok, Sep 1–4) that Sber plans to launch international settlements using digital currencies for business clients before the end of 2026, with payments executed directly inside the SberBiznes mobile app. He said the required infrastructure is already in place, the goal being 'to make cryptocurrency settlement not a difficult quest for business', and to embed the new payment method into companies' routine foreign-economic operations. In the same interview he said Sber intends to expand lending secured by digital assets, eventually accepting not only bitcoin but also Ethereum and the Tether stablecoin as collateral — but only after the Central Bank admits the relevant assets to public circulation and all provisions of the new regulation take effect. Caution: this is a stated plan, not a live service; currencies, limits and fees are undisclosed, and Ethereum/Tether collateral lending still needs regulatory clearance. Sellers handling China–Russia settlements should watch this, but not rework existing repatriation routes on the basis of it.

The Central Bank's official rates, set on Aug 28 and effective Aug 29: USD 85.6007 RUB, EUR 99.6820 RUB, CNY 12.7335 RUB. Aug 29 was a Saturday, so the CBR published no new set; the same set continues to apply through Aug 30, Aug 31 and Sep 1, which is why the figures are identical to the Aug 28 coverage day — this is normal weekend carry-over, not stale data. The baseline for converting rouble revenue into yuan for sellers is unchanged.