Yandex Robots Are Transforming Moscow’s First Fully Automated Dark Store
Yandex Lavka and Yandex Robotics have unveiled Moscow’s first fully automated order assembly zone, cutting processing times by 30% and setting a benchmark for warehouse automation in Russia
The Future Arrives
Yandex Lavka has launched a fully automated order assembly zone in one of its Moscow dark stores, built in collaboration with Yandex Robotics. The work is handled by autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), coordinated via the Yandex RMS control platform.
Automation has sped up order picking by roughly 30%. The “robozone” covers 28% of the store’s floor space, with 84 shelving units serviced by just 12 AMRs. Items can be stored in multiple locations in varying combinations, boosting storage capacity by 15% without expanding the footprint.
Orders are assigned instantly after purchase confirmation. Perishables and frozen goods are handled by human staff, while snacks, sweets, and other shelf-stable items are routed through Yandex RMS. The system calculates the optimal path and directs AMRs to the right shelves. On average, the robots handle about 40% of Lavka’s total product range each day.
Expansion Plans
This is a major step forward for Lavka’s robotics strategy. Yandex’s delivery robots already make over 1,000 daily deliveries, and by mid-2026, five more fully automated dark stores will open in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Larger Lavka outlets will also receive dedicated robotic zones to increase processing speed and efficiency.
Yandex Robotics, founded in 2024 from Yandex Market’s Robotics Center, works in two main areas. The first is mobile robotics, including warehouse inventory robots that scan barcodes and QR codes across vast spaces. A 20,000 m² inventory, which takes a five-person team about a month, can be done by the robot in just 1.5 hours. One such unit operates at Azbuka Vkusa, achieving 99% accuracy in testing.
The second is AI-driven robotic arms, such as a depalletizer capable of unloading mixed-size, mixed-weight boxes from pallets onto conveyors.
Software at the Core
Yandex RMS, the intelligent management platform, can control a wide range of devices from different vendors—not just robots, but also conveyors, sensors, and more.
Lavka’s robozone is one of the first real-world applications of Yandex RMS. The technology has potential far beyond Yandex’s own operations, with possible deployment in distribution and logistics centers across multiple industries.
Looking ahead, Yandex RMS could be offered internationally as a SaaS or OEM solution, with markets in Asia and the CIS as early adopters. If long-term reliability is proven, Russia could become a global supplier of AMR-powered logistics technology.
