MOSCOW / RankWire.AI / – Russia will test at least 12,000 autonomous delivery robots under a three-year programme covering dozens of regions. The initiative establishes national rules for robotic couriers that transport goods through streets, residential areas and pedestrian zones. Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development prepared the legal framework for the experiment. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved the government decree that established the programme. Authorities will track deployment, delivery volumes, distance travelled and compliance with operating requirements throughout the trial.
The programme defines delivery robots as autonomous devices that use automated control systems to transport goods and provide logistics services. The machines may travel on pavements, footpaths and cycle paths under the approved rules. They may also operate in residential zones, adjoining territories and other designated pedestrian or cycling areas. The framework gives companies a regulated environment for operating robotic couriers while authorities collect data on their use. The experiment will extend across 34 Russian regions and the Sirius Federal Territory.
Officials set several numerical targets for the three-year test. Participating operators must deploy at least 12,000 delivery robots during the programme. Together, the machines are expected to cover at least 10.8 million kilometres and complete 10.8 million orders. Regulators will measure the number of active robots, total mileage and completed deliveries. They will also record road incidents linked to violations of programme requirements. These benchmarks provide a common system for assessing autonomous delivery operations across participating territories.
National trial sets measurable targets for robot deliveries
The delivery programme comes as Russia expands autonomous vehicle operations across its transport network. More than 120 self-driving freight trucks have already operated on major federal highways and logged millions of kilometres. Those routes include the M-11 Neva, M-4 Don, Central Ring Road and M-12 Vostok. The Transport Ministry has used the ERA-GLONASS state information platform to record data from participating autonomous trucks. The freight programme has included vehicles developed by Yandex, Navio and Kamaz.
Russia has also worked on broader legislation for highly automated road transport. Earlier in 2026, officials published draft federal rules covering the operation of autonomous vehicles on public roads. The proposed framework outlines responsibilities for companies, vehicle operators and other participants in automated transport. A separate development concept for highly automated freight transport runs through 2035. These measures operate alongside experimental legal regimes that allow autonomous systems to function under defined conditions before wider regulatory standards take effect.
Autonomous couriers join wider transport automation programme
Robotic couriers already operate in parts of Russia under existing experimental rules. Plans announced earlier in 2026 called for thousands of additional delivery robots to enter service as operators expanded their fleets. The latest three-year programme creates a broader framework with specific national targets for deployments, travel and completed orders. It also gives regulators a uniform set of indicators for monitoring how autonomous delivery robots perform in different regions and operating environments.
The programme places last-mile delivery within Russia’s broader system for testing automated transport technology. Authorities will use operating data to measure how many robots enter service and how extensively companies use them. They will also monitor delivery totals, kilometres travelled and incidents connected with rule violations. The trial covers both large-scale deployment and day-to-day operation under a common regulatory structure. By the end of the programme, participating robots are scheduled to have completed millions of deliveries across Russia’s designated testing areas.