A growing number of Chinese ecommerce merchants are selling their products on Russia’s largest online marketplaces as exporters increasingly look to the platforms to find new markets and avoid western tariffs.

Ozon Global, the international version of one of Russia’s largest ecommerce platforms, sources 80 per cent of its orders from China and told the Financial Times it had signed up at least 100,000 sellers from the country. In 2022, Chinese sellers numbered about 10,000. Wildberries, the largest platform by sales, said it had formally launched a channel for Chinese sellers last year, with industry sources confirming growing interest in selling on the platform.

Several Chinese suppliers said that as well as opening accounts on the sites’ dedicated international platforms, they were also registering local Russian ecommerce stores — a process that requires opening a Russian bank account, paying for in-country warehouses and receiving payment in roubles.