Wildberries and Ozon to Accept Digital Rubles from September 1, 2026
Wildberries and Ozon will enable payments using digital rubles starting September 1, 2026. Home users, corporations, fraud protection, payment security, and compliance with Russian legislation are among the key aspects highlighted in the announcement.
Marketplaces have confirmed preparations for the new payment method. Ozon will first activate the digital ruble in test mode, placing it next to bank cards and other payment options. The company then intends to open the feature gradually to all customers, according to RIA Novosti. Wildberries shared no additional details but stated it will meet the requirements of the Bank of Russia and applicable regulations.
From the same date, the largest banks must allow clients to open digital wallets, transfer funds, and pay for goods. Users will access the new currency form through their usual banking application connected to the Central Bank platform. For citizens, operations with digital rubles will stay free of charge.
Mandatory Implementation Timeline
The marketplaces' launch is not a voluntary crypto experiment. Per Bank of Russia rules, from September 1 trading companies with revenue above 120 million rubles must accept digital rubles if serviced by major banks. In 2027 the requirement will extend to sellers with annual revenue over 30 million rubles, and in 2028 to all remaining businesses. Companies with turnover below 5 million rubles are exempt from mandatory connection.
The digital ruble will become the third form of Russian currency alongside cash and regular bank account money. Buyers will not be forced to switch; cards and other payment methods will remain available. The Bank of Russia has also promised banking secrecy for digital ruble holders.
Related articles
Deploying Self-Hosted Hysteria 2 Proxy on Debian-Based Linux VPS via Terminal
A detailed guide explains how to set up a personal Hysteria 2 proxy server on a KVM VPS running Debian or Ubuntu without any web panels. The process begins with generating ed25519 SSH keys, hardening the sshd_config file, and restricting access with ufw to only TCP port 22 and UDP port 443. Hysteria 2 is downloaded from GitHub, made executable, and configured using a TOML file that enables salamander obfuscation and a self-signed TLS certificate. A custom systemd unit ensures the service restarts on failure. The client configuration includes SHA256 pinning of the server certificate to prevent MITM attacks. The guide emphasizes manual CLI operations that apply equally to other services such as Nginx and stresses checking local laws before deployment.
Rostec Scales PCAT Platform Nationwide as Russia's First Industrial Marketplace
Rostec has expanded its PCAT platform to every organization within the state corporation that manufactures civilian products. Operating since 2025 and upgraded in September 2026, the platform now unites more than 180 enterprises and research organizations. Its catalog contains over 1,250 finished products along with 370 technological and manufacturing competencies. Visitors can locate not only equipment and components but also partners able to design, test, or produce required solutions. The portal receives more than 23,000 weekly visits, 60 percent of them from corporations and large enterprises. Rostec is extending the network into the regions through supply-chain agreements already signed with Krasnodar Krai and the oblasts of Tver, Tula, and Ryazan. In parallel the corporation launched the Robot Management System in November 2025 for centralized control of robots, sensors, and related IT services.
Kate Mobile Loses VK API Access After New Request Limits Exhaust Quota in 1.5 Days
Popular third-party Android client Kate Mobile has been cut off from VK services following the introduction of strict monthly API request caps. VK implemented the new limits on September 7, offering verified partners up to 100 million requests per month while requiring payment for additional access by third-party services. Kate Mobile developers had requested pricing details in advance but received no response from VK. Calculations showed that the app's real user base would consume the entire 100-million-request allowance in roughly 36 hours, with the messages.send method alone generating twice the allowed volume. Caching optimizations cannot mitigate the issue because message sending cannot be cached. Developers view the change as an effort to eliminate alternative clients rather than a genuine monetization strategy. Users expressed disappointment, praising the app's long-term support and criticizing the official VK client for excessive features and advertising.
Russian AI Research Ranks High in Global Science but Struggles with Commercialization
Russia has secured third place among BRICS nations and twentieth worldwide in the number of scientific papers presented at ten leading international conferences on machine learning and artificial intelligence. According to a study by the Scientometric Center of HSE University, Russian organizations contributed 560 papers between 2020 and 2025 that received over 12,300 citations. The average international citation rate reached 3.59, surpassing India despite fewer total publications. Russian strengths are most evident in the mathematics of machine learning, optimization, and formal concept analysis, with notable results also in computer vision and speech technologies. More than 40 percent of domestic publications involve business participation, led by Yandex among companies, HSE University and Skoltech among universities, and AIRI among non-profit organizations. Significant barriers remain, including shortages of computing power, limited access to high-quality data, and weak transfer of research into commercial products, particularly in natural language processing, AI agents, and infrastructure technologies. The Ministry of Digital Development has announced plans to stimulate demand for domestic AI solutions, expand computing infrastructure, improve regulation, and accelerate the implementation of scientific developments.