Russia E-commerce Intelligence

Ozon announced on 1 September that it has opened sales in Mongolia — the ninth market outside Russia for the platform, after Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Local buyers can order 90M+ items across categories from baby goods to home appliances; delivery at the first stage takes up to 10 days and orders can be collected at post offices nationwide. Head of Ozon CIS Natalya Boyer said the new market gives Russian sellers an additional sales channel. Ozon has run its international business since 2021 and also operates with China and Turkey; cross-border trade was about 7% of assortment in September 2025.

Wildberries & Russ (RWB) said at the Eastern Economic Forum 2026 that it has completed a pilot allowing marketplace sellers to raise financing by issuing their own digital financial assets (DFAs). Three sellers — two sole proprietors and one company — issued DFAs with maturities of three to six months and raised a combined RUB 24.4 million, usable for goods purchases and production equipment. Yulia Poletayeva, head of RWB's entrepreneurship support projects department, cited speed of issuance, minimal bureaucracy and access to a broad investor base as the advantages; sellers can offer the assets to both legal entities and individuals. RWB head Tatyana Kim first announced the service in June 2026 to widen financial access for sellers.

Presidential aide and Maritime Board chairman Nikolai Patrushev said on 1 September at a meeting on inland shipping in the Amur basin that shipments between Russian and Chinese river ports are growing: nearly 700,000 tonnes have moved through international border crossings, comprising grain, machinery, equipment, spare parts and consumer goods. In the 2025 navigation season, cargo throughput at Amur basin river ports rose 39% to about 4 million tonnes, with construction materials making up more than half the cargo base. International shipments typically account for up to a quarter of the basin's total inland and export-import freight. Khabarovsk Krai is upgrading its port to link into international trade routes, while Amur Oblast plans two hubs of up to 7 mtpa based on the Dzhalinda and Blagoveshchensk ports. Patrushev also flagged the need to renew the fleet, whose average age exceeds 46 years.

At the St. Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange on 1 September, AI-92 gasoline rose 4.36% to RUB 75,477 per tonne, a high since last year; AI-95 fell 5.29% to RUB 75,926/t; summer diesel dropped 3.2% to RUB 71,221/t; fuel oil gained 1.75% to RUB 20,628/t; and LPG rose 2.66% to RUB 33,094/t. The figure that matters most for sellers is diesel — the main fuel for trunk haulage and last-mile delivery — which fell 3.2% on the day. However, the export ban on gasoline, diesel and other fuels imposed in late July runs until 31 January 2027, so medium-term uncertainty over domestic fuel supply persists.

The law 'On Digital Currencies and Digital Rights', in force from 1 September, has only partly come into effect. The main change concerns foreign-economic-activity participants, who can now make cross-border transfers without the previous restrictions; RBC reported the same day that Russian businesses have already started conducting cross-border crypto payments under the new law. Market participants still cannot offer digital currency trading services inside Russia, because many supporting regulations describing the market's core mechanics are missing. Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said in July 2026 that the ministry and the Central Bank need to draft about 80 documents. The CBR told Kommersant that many draft regulations have passed regulatory impact assessment and will be sent to the Justice Ministry for registration, with all documents expected to be ready by early December 2026.

The Supreme Court's economic disputes panel ruled that VAT is payable on goods imported into Russia even if the goods were purchased from a bankrupt company. The ruling came in a dispute between tax authorities and a Russian company that bought equipment from a bankrupt Belarusian enterprise. For sellers importing through a Russian legal entity, bankruptcy of the supplier is not grounds for exemption from import VAT, and the tax must be factored into cost calculations as usual.

According to data Flowwow provided to Kommersant, the average bouquet price ahead of 1 September rose 6% YoY to RUB 3,200. The most popular flowers in August were roses, chrysanthemums, alstroemeria, peonies and carnations, while the back-to-school period lifted demand for seasonal dahlias and gladioli. A five-stem gladioli bouquet averages RUB 2,710 (+4%) and a dahlia arrangement rose 21% to RUB 2,740. Fiscal data operator Platforma OFD reported that in late August the average bouquet price was RUB 4,300 (+9% YoY), with an online average ticket of RUB 5,500 and online bouquet sales up 12% YoY. A same-day report attributed part of the increase to Russia's restriction on cut-flower imports from Armenia, in force since 22 May 2026.

The Bank of Russia extended restrictions on cash foreign-currency withdrawals until 9 March 2027; the previous deadline was 6 September 2026. The restrictions have been in place since 2022 and have been repeatedly extended; this is another routine rollover. For sellers operating a Russian legal entity that needs cash FX for settlements, the cash channel remains closed — settlements continue to run through bank transfers, national-currency settlement and electronic channels rather than over-the-counter withdrawals.

President Vladimir Putin said on 1 September at a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov that Russia accounts for over 26% of Kyrgyzstan's foreign trade, bilateral turnover grew 25.9% last year and added another 36% in January–June 2026. He said nearly 90% of all payments between the two countries are settled in national currencies. More than 2,000 joint ventures operate, and over 80 Russian regions cooperate with all seven Kyrgyz provinces. For sellers routing settlements and transit through Kyrgyzstan, the ~90% national-currency settlement share describes the channel's current state.

The Bank of Russia's official rates effective 2 September are: USD 86.7530 RUB, EUR 100.5988 RUB, CNY 12.8970 RUB. Versus the previous set (published 31 Aug, effective 1 Sept: USD 86.3793, EUR 100.5714, CNY 12.8580), the ruble weakened about 0.43% against the dollar, was roughly flat against the euro (+0.03%) and weakened about 0.30% against the yuan. For yuan-denominated proceeds, the conversion window improved marginally. Data taken from the official cbr.ru XML endpoint (date_req=02/09/2026, returned Date=02.09.2026).

In its 1 September bulletin 'What the Trends Say', the Bank of Russia's research and forecasting department said disruptions at the largest marketplaces create risks of localised price increases on certain non-food goods, driven by shrinking supply, cancelled discounts and costlier logistics. Developed e-commerce infrastructure and seller support measures allow the logistics constraints to be partly offset, so the effect on overall price growth will be limited. Analysts also noted that the fuel market and warehouse situation is reshaping the whole structure of logistics costs through higher transport, insurance and other expenses, complicating the task of slowing both headline and underlying consumer price dynamics; stabilising fuel prices as production capacity recovers should limit the scale and duration of second-round effects.

Kommersant reported on 1 September that online retailer Shein raised $1.7 billion in its IPO at an overall valuation of $26.3 billion. For Russian sellers the figure matters as a benchmark: the capital raised and valuation of a global ultra-low-cost apparel player determine how aggressive it can be on price, and it serves as a verifiable marker of the capital environment in international cross-border e-commerce. The deal itself does not directly change fees or rules on Russian platforms.