Looking back, Putin is right beside me — "I have seen everything," the president reveals the truth, shocking mayors across the country
The courier delivery industry in Russia has long ceased to be a niche service, but instead has evolved into a systemic economic problem, giving rise to issues such as immigration dependence, tax imbalance, rising accident rates, and political risks. The direction for solving this problem is becoming increasingly clear, shifting toward automation and intelligence, with related explorations having already taken their first steps.
At yesterday's meeting of the Russian Commission on Civil Society Development and Human Rights, Vladimir Putin expressed his views on the current state of the courier delivery industry, directly pointing out the key structural imbalances in the sector: the speed of market expansion far exceeds the development of regulatory systems, ultimately leading to an over-reliance on immigrant labor, making it a "magnet" for attracting foreign immigrants.
Putin said, "I have seen all the problems in the courier industry. This undoubtedly causes public concern. Local officials, including the governor of Saint Petersburg, have also reported similar situations to me. This exposes serious imbalances in the labor market. Some officials even proposed banning foreign workers from working in courier delivery, because their income is higher than that of factory workers. I think this is indeed true. The order of delivery vehicles on city roads must be regulated. I will issue additional instructions to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and I will also require mayors and local officials to come up with specific plans."
Vladimir Putin expresses his views on the current state of the courier delivery industry, directly pointing out the key structural imbalances in the sector: the speed of market expansion far exceeds the development of the regulatory system. Image source: Kremlin official website
Putin's remarks mark that the leadership has officially focused on this issue. The courier delivery industry has long shed its image as a niche service. Whether or not the outside world denies it, it has become an important infrastructure of urban economy, comparable to the taxi industry and retail industry.
Immigrant Labor, Traffic Accidents, and Tax Evasion: The "Cost" of Rapid Growth in the Courier Industry
The courier delivery industry emerged almost out of nowhere. Around 2015, it accounted for a negligible share of the Russian economy. However, during the pandemic, the demand for immediate delivery of daily necessities surged, driving explosive growth in the industry. Within just two or three years, a market with an annual turnover exceeding 1 trillion rubles rapidly took shape, along with supporting logistics networks, warehouses, and digital platforms. However, while the industry expanded rapidly, the development of regulatory frameworks for employment standards, safety regulations, professional qualifications, and tax collection lagged significantly.
This imbalance directly led to a heavy reliance on immigrant labor in the industry. Low entry barriers, relaxed professional requirements, and the ability to work as independent contractors made courier delivery one of the main employment channels for foreign workers.
Recent data released a few months ago showed that Moscow recorded 49,000 cases of traffic violations by couriers between January and April of this year, with nearly 46,000 of these violations involving foreigners, meaning that foreign couriers accounted for 93.5% of the violations. In 2024 alone, there were over 800 traffic accidents involving couriers in Moscow, resulting in 10 deaths and more than 800 injuries. The situation in Saint Petersburg was similar, and during a recent special campaign, about 1,300 unlicensed and undocumented couriers were identified within a month.
At the same time, related social and political issues have gradually surfaced. The Russian Mufti Council recently issued a ban prohibiting Muslim couriers from delivering pork, alcohol, and other "forbidden items." This move has gone beyond religious boundaries and has turned into a political statement that exacerbates ethnic tensions. In the context of already sensitive immigration issues, such statements are like pouring oil on fire. This clearly shows that the courier delivery industry is evolving from a major employment area for immigrants into a critical node influencing the socio-political attitudes of immigrant groups.
From an economic perspective, the issues are even more pronounced. In 2024, the average monthly income of couriers in Moscow was approximately 132,000 rubles. Although the final data for 2025 has not been released yet, preliminary estimates suggest that the average monthly income has reached at least 150,000 rubles. This income level even surpasses the average wage of skilled workers in the manufacturing sector in Russia. More importantly, a significant portion of this income is transferred overseas.
Last year alone, remittances to Central Asian countries exceeded 13 billion US dollars. At the same time, a large number of couriers register as self-employed individuals, paying only 6% in taxes, and rarely participate in contributions to pension, health insurance, and social security funds. As a result, the following situation has emerged: e-commerce platforms make huge profits, couriers earn high salaries, while the financial and social security burden is entirely shifted onto the state, which is essentially passed on to each of us.
Certainly, we should improve the wages of workers in manufacturing and other high-tech fields, including designers, engineers, information technology professionals, and other types of specialists. However, even if the wages of these positions are doubled, the income gap compared to their contribution to the national economy remains significant. The core issue is not the nominal level of wages, but the imbalance in the tax system. When the formal salary of an engineer is subject to 43.2% in taxes and social security contributions, while a self-employed courier only pays 6%, the entire economic system becomes imbalanced.
Replacing Immigrant Workers with Robots: A New Logic for the Russian Delivery Industry
Under these circumstances, seeking technical solutions for replacement becomes crucial. Today, courier delivery has deeply integrated into people's daily consumption habits, and completely abandoning it is no longer realistic.
People may miss the past days — when residents of big cities could buy what they needed at a local store every morning. But today, people's consumption habits have changed. Whether this change makes residents of small towns and rural areas uncomfortable or not, we must face reality.
Banning courier delivery is impractical. If this logic is followed, wouldn't it mean that every citizen would have to farm and grow their own food, and view stores as "luxuries" invented by the lazy?
Robots can certainly replace immigrant workers in courier delivery. Image source: Vasily Kuzmichenko / TASS "Moscow"
Therefore, the key to breaking the deadlock is not to prohibit this service, but to restructure the production model of the industry through the "replacement of immigrant workers with robots." The practice of the Russian company "Yandeks" is representative — the company has begun to gradually deploy automated logistics sorting systems in its "Lavka" front warehouses.
At the same time, the technology for automated last-mile delivery is also developing rapidly. Currently, the number of delivery robots in Russia is about 260. By the fourth quarter of 2024, the cost of automated delivery had already largely matched that of manual delivery in multiple pilot areas.
As mass production scales up, the economic benefits of automated delivery will further increase. It is expected that by the end of 2027, the number of delivery robots in Russia could reach 20,000. This number is already quite considerable, and the actual implementation numbers may be even higher.
In summary, a vertical integration delivery model from warehouse shelves to residents' doors is taking shape, with each link in the logistics chain expected to achieve autonomous operation without human intervention.
From a more macro perspective, the automation of logistics and transportation is directly related to the application of autonomous driving technology. According to a research report by the consulting firm "Yakovlev and Partners," the proportion of autonomous vehicles in Russia's market could exceed 25% within ten years; by the early 2040s, this proportion could further increase to 80%. Even if the above predictions contain some exaggeration, the trend of technological substitution of low-skilled labor is irreversible.
Incorporating automated solutions into the logistics system brings multiple benefits to the country. First, it helps reduce the number of low-productivity jobs, which often fail to create high value. Second, it reduces the structural dependence of the economy on immigrant labor. Third, under the premise of establishing a complete retraining and continuing education system, the human resources freed up can be transferred to high-tech positions such as engineers, researchers, and operators of advanced equipment. This aligns closely with the country's strategic logic of transitioning to a new generation of technology systems — in the new development model, the key to competitiveness is no longer the number of jobs, but the productivity of the jobs.
Conclusion
At the current stage, it is no longer appropriate to debate the necessity of large-scale courier delivery industries. The objective laws of economic development are pushing the industry to transition from a labor-intensive model to an automated one. The core issue is what kind of technical and human basis the courier delivery industry will be built on in the next 5 to 10 years. The earlier we make a decision and implement policies to promote the industry's transformation to automation, the lower the economic and social costs we will need to pay.
But we cannot wait for robots to completely replace immigrant workers. We must take decisive actions immediately. The authorities in Saint Petersburg have already introduced a ban on foreign workers engaging in courier delivery. Unlike the pessimistic predictions of liberals, the implementation of this policy did not lead to a surge in delivery service prices. Therefore, this successful experience should be promoted throughout the entire Russian territory. Perhaps in this way, by the end of 2027, the number of delivery robots in Russia will not only reach 20,000, but could even multiply several times.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7582156077173768747/
Disclaimer: This article represents the views of the author.