Russia’s three biggest online marketplaces have narrowed their liability to sellers amid Ukrainian attacks on warehouses

Yandex Market has changed the terms of its agreement with sellers on the platform.The company added a list to the “Force Majeure Circumstances” section spelling out the cases in which the marketplace is released from liability, including the following:any consequences of the use of weapons, military equipment, or aircraft, including drones,strikes, civil unrest, uprisings, rallies, demonstrations, or picketing,restrictive measures by government authorities, including bans on movement,acts of terrorism, military actions, the imposition of martial law or a state of emergency, and other special legal regimes,the release or dispersal of any contaminants or toxic substances,natural disasters.The previous version of the document, dated July 1, did not specify which circumstances the “Force Majeure Circumstances” section covered.That earlier version released both parties from liability for failing to fulfill their obligations in the event of force majeure. Under the new terms, only the marketplace — the party performing the service — is exempt from liability.The updated agreement also drops the requirement that each party immediately notify the other of a force majeure event and back it up with documentation.Two other major marketplaces in Russia changed the terms of their seller agreements earlier this year. Ozon did so on June 12, and Wildberries followed on July 7. Both changes freed the companies from liability for failing to meet their obligations in the event of a drone attack.Ukraine has struck Wildberries warehouses twice in the past week. On July 18, drones hit logistics centers in Kotovsk in the Tambov region and in Elektrostal, outside Moscow. On July 22, drones attacked Wildberries warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk.Despite its own updated agreement, Wildberries representatives said the company had developed measures to support sellers whose goods burned in Ukrainian military strikes, including “making payments” for lost goods. The company did not specify when the payments would begin or how they would be calculated.At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.