Yandex Considers Bidding to Operate Moscow's Municipal Advertising Network

Yandex is considering bidding for the right to operate Moscow's municipal outdoor advertising network. The company has not made a final decision, according to Oleg Ivanov, its director for the development of new advertising products.

Applications close on Oct. 15, 2026, with the auction scheduled for Oct. 20. In an Oct. 9 report, RBC quoted Ivanov as saying participation was under discussion. ADPASS also reported the company's interest, citing a comment obtained from him the previous day.

The municipal network has operated since 2016 and covers 125 districts with nearly 1,900 structures. It is primarily used for city information and public-service advertising. Commercial advertising accounts for only 20% of its capacity.

Moscow offered the operating rights as a single lot in September, with a starting contract price of 9.64 billion rubles. The successful bidder will also have to modernize and digitize the structures.

Yandex already operates its own digital outdoor advertising network. The company says it has more than 6,000 structures in 10 cities with populations exceeding one million, including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Voronezh and Perm. Its formats include screens in the windows of shops, pharmacies, parcel pickup points, clinics and mobile-phone stores. It has also owned digital advertising boxes on taxi roofs since 2023.

Since February 2026, Yandex has operated 80 advertising pillars belonging to Rasvero. In August, it became the operator of a media facade on Moscow's Mira Avenue. Outdoor advertising operator Maer declined to comment on possible participation in the municipal auction. RBC also sent questions to Russ and Rim.