Yandex Market’s leadership told employees at a meeting that it plans to cut the division’s staff and budget, the Russian business daily RBC reported, citing a source in the e-commerce market.
Sources also told Forbes Russia that Yandex plans to lay off some Market employees and cut the marketplace’s budget. The publication also obtained data from an internal company service where employees post messages to management — a forum in which questions about possible layoffs and severance payments have begun to appear.
A Yandex representative did not confirm plans to cut Market staff in comments to either outlet. According to the representative, the company is “reviewing the structure of its teams to focus resources on key projects.” Yandex said it is abandoning “non-core projects and duplicate functions” and will direct its marketing budget toward “what matters most for the marketplace — improving conditions for sellers and special offers for buyers.”
The changes will affect up to 15% of Market’s current employees, but the company plans to “find new roles within Yandex for as many people as possible.”
It is not known how many people Yandex Market employs. RBC says Yandex’s overall headcount stood at 92,000 as of the first quarter of 2026.
In mid-March, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported that Yandex might begin shutting down “certain business units” and “optimizing” staff within them. According to the outlet, the cuts would affect one of the company’s key divisions — Search Services and AI — with plans to “optimize” the commercial department and certain products, including the market research service Yandex Vzglyad.
Yandex dismissed Kommersant’s report as inaccurate.
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