Yandex's delivery robots could potentially expand to over 30 locations
Autonomous Delivery Robots Expand Across Russian Cities Under EPL
In a significant leap forward for autonomous technology, Yandex's self-driving delivery service, Yandex.Rover, is actively operating in several Russian cities under the Experimental Legal Regime (EPL). As of mid-2025, the service has been delivering food, parcels, and office documents autonomously in cities like Innopolis and Moscow.
The EPL, which covers over 30 regions including Moscow, allows these robots to navigate sidewalks and urban environments at speeds of 10-25 km/h. This legal framework facilitates the testing and operation of such autonomous delivery systems, enabling Yandex to expand and refine its service.
By August 2025, Yandex.Rover had been increasingly integrated into urban logistics, with evidence of the service expanding beyond initial pilot regions to major cities like Moscow. While explicit official statements on future expansion plans under the EPL are not detailed in the available sources, the presence of Yandex.Rover delivery robots in multiple cities and continuous operation in 2025 strongly suggests ongoing scaling efforts.
In May 2025, Yandex submitted a project for an Experimental Legal Regime (EPL) for robodelivery to the Ministry of Economic Development. The EPL was granted to expand Yandex's robodelivery business to another 20 regions, including St. Petersburg, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Krasnodar and Primorye Krais, and Rostov and Moscow Oblasts.
Yandex's Rover is a self-driving, wheeled vehicle, demonstrating practical functionality in real-world conditions. The service's expansion under the EPL suggests that the company is committed to broadening its autonomous delivery footprint, likely leveraging the EPL framework to expand to more locations across Russia.
In summary, Yandex.Rover is currently operational in several Russian cities, notably Innopolis and Moscow, under the EPL. There are indications of ongoing expansion beyond pilot zones, with robots visible in multiple urban environments as of 2025. The EPL provides the legal basis supporting these operations and likely facilitates further growth, although specific future plans have not been publicly detailed.
Artificial-intelligence plays a crucial role in Yandex.Rover's self-driving capabilities, enabling the service to navigate urban environments effectively. With Yandex's plans to expand its autonomous delivery footprint under the Experimental Legal Regime (EPL), artificial-intelligence technology continues to be essential in shaping the future of urban logistics in Russia.
The expansion of Yandex.Rover's operations under the EPL not only showcases the growth of autonomous technology in the region, but also highlights the potential for artificial-intelligence to revolutionize delivery systems across cities in Russia.
