Transparency over promises
We publish the rules, the response targets and the limits of our role. We do not promise buyer protection we cannot deliver, and we do not describe the platform as a guarantor of any transaction.
A Russian marketplace built around the everyday needs of the Iranian community
How iniaz.ru works: our story, mission and values, the categories we cover across Russia, the way moderation protects buyers and sellers, and the limits of our role as a classifieds platform.
Why a marketplace for Iranians in Russia had to be structured, not improvised
iniaz.ru began with a problem almost every Iranian family in Russia recognises. The useful information exists, but it is scattered across dozens of messenger groups, half-deleted posts and word of mouth. A flat is advertised in one chat, the landlord speaks only Russian, the deposit rules are explained by a cousin, and nobody can confirm whether the listing is still available or whether the person behind it owns anything at all.
That informal network is valuable, and it is also fragile. It has no search, no history and no accountability. When a deal goes wrong, the chat is deleted and the seller disappears. Newcomers, students arriving for a semester, families relocating for work and small business owners all lose time and money to the same avoidable mistakes.
We built iniaz.ru as a structured alternative: one place where a listing has a category, a city, a date, photos and a person accountable for it. Instead of a single endless feed, the platform separates housing, vehicles, jobs, services, goods, business offers and community needs, so a search for a one-room flat in Kazan does not return a car battery from Moscow.
The project is deliberately small in scope and honest about it. We are a classifieds platform, not a real estate agency, not an employer, not a bank and not an escrow service. Our job is to make discovery and first contact safer and clearer. The agreement itself, the money and the keys remain between the people who make the deal.
Clarity across languages, accountability across borders
Our mission is to give Iranians living in Russia a marketplace they can read in their own language and trust with the practical details of ordinary life: a place to live, a car to drive, work that pays, a service that arrives on time, and a buyer for something they no longer need.
That mission has three practical consequences. First, every important document exists in Persian, Russian and English, because a rule you cannot read is not a rule you can follow. Second, moderation applies the same standard to everyone, regardless of how long an account has existed or which language the listing is written in. Third, when something goes wrong, there is a real mailbox, a real response target and a written procedure instead of a promise in a group chat.
Our vision for the coming years is not to become the biggest platform in Russia. It is to become the most predictable one for this specific community: a place where the interface explains what Russian law expects, where a suspicious listing is removed quickly, and where a newcomer can learn the local rules before signing a lease or paying a deposit.
We measure progress by structural things we can verify rather than by flattering numbers: how many categories are documented, how many questions the help centre answers, how quickly safety reports are reviewed, and whether the terms of service actually describe what the product does.
A short, documented history of the project
We spoke with Iranian tenants, students, drivers and shop owners in Moscow and Saint Petersburg about the deals that had gone wrong for them. The recurring themes were language, deposits and the absence of any record of what was agreed.
The first release carried Persian, Russian and English from day one rather than adding translations later. Listings, categories and the help centre shipped together, because a marketplace without rules is just a noticeboard.
We wrote down what may and may not be listed, how reports are handled and which sanctions apply. Publishing the rules was as important as enforcing them: sellers can now check a decision against a written standard.
Report buttons, account verification, safety guidance and a dedicated fraud mailbox went live. Verification is optional for ordinary listings and required in categories where identity matters most.
City and region navigation expanded to more than twenty Russian cities, and the help centre grew into a documented set of guides covering payments, disputes, tenancy paperwork and vehicle registration.
Terms of service, privacy policy, safety guide, support procedures and a 200-question FAQ were aligned with Russian law and published in all three languages, so the rules are readable before a user registers.
Structural facts only, with no inflated claims
Six commitments that shape the product and the moderation queue
We publish the rules, the response targets and the limits of our role. We do not promise buyer protection we cannot deliver, and we do not describe the platform as a guarantor of any transaction.
Every user-facing document exists in Persian, Russian and English. A person who reads only Persian should understand the deposit clause, the refund procedure and the safety rules before committing money.
Moderation applies the same test to a long-established seller and a first-time poster. Repeat violations escalate predictably, and every sanction can be appealed against the written rules.
When a category attracts systematic fraud, we slow it down: extra verification, stricter listing requirements or temporary restrictions. Volume is never a reason to tolerate a known scam pattern.
Russian rental, employment and vehicle rules are not obvious to a newcomer. Our guides explain the documents, the deadlines and the agencies involved, in plain language rather than legal jargon.
Support answers are written by people who can read a listing and a receipt. Automated replies route a request, they do not resolve it, and urgent safety reports reach a reviewer within the published target.
Four steps, with a clear boundary at every one
Registration takes a verified email or phone number. Your public profile shows a display name, a city and, if you choose, a verification badge. Identity documents are never shown to other users.
A listing requires a category, a city, a price or a clear price basis, a description and at least one real photo. Search and filters work on those fields, so the same query behaves the same way for every user.
The platform carries the first conversation and the listing record. It does not hold the deposit, does not sign the lease or employment contract and does not deliver the goods. Payment and handover happen between the parties.
After the deal, leave an honest review and report anything that looked wrong. Reports open a moderation case with a written outcome, and evidence is preserved for disputes and, where necessary, for law enforcement.
Four groups with different needs and the same need for clarity
Long-term tenants and buyers who need housing listings they can compare, landlords who will accept a foreign passport, and neighbours who understand the practical side of moving.
People arriving for a semester or a first job, who need a room, a phone, a tutor or a cheap bicycle quickly, and who are the most common target of deposit and prepayment scams.
Shops, restaurants, salons, repair workshops and importers who want to reach the community, hire staff and advertise services without breaking Russian advertising and tax rules.
Local owners and service providers who want reliable tenants, customers and employees from a community they already work with, and who value a documented conversation.
”A marketplace earns trust the same way a person does: by saying what it will do, doing it, and being clear about what is not its responsibility.
— The iniaz.ru team
iniaz.ru is a classifieds platform. We are not a party to the lease, sale, employment or service contract between users; we do not hold deposits, provide escrow, guarantee payment, verify ownership of property or vehicles, or act as a real estate agency or recruitment agency. Every transaction, payment and handover is agreed directly between the buyer and the seller, and each party remains responsible for checking documents and complying with Russian law. Verification badges confirm that an account completed an identity check, not that an offer is safe or profitable.
iniaz support is available daily 09:00–21:00 MSK; safety matters are handled 24/7.