A series of Ukrainian drone strikes has targeted the warehouses of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, resulting in fires that have destroyed inventory worth billions of dollars. The aerial campaign, which began over the weekend, has struck at least nine facilities across Russia, including locations in Elektrostal, the Tambov region, St. Petersburg, and the Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian Drone Campaign Targets Wildberries Logistics Hubs
According to reports, the attacks have caused at least nine deaths and left scores of people injured. The strikes are part of a broader Ukrainian effort to undermine Russia’s economy and logistics networks, forcing the impact of the ongoing war into the daily lives of ordinary Russian citizens.
Economic Impact and Logistics Disruption
The strikes have hit approximately 10% of the total logistics capacity of Wildberries, a company that serves as the Russian equivalent to Amazon. Data Insight, a Moscow-based research firm, estimates that the destruction of merchandise alone has reached 170 billion rubles, or approximately $2.2 billion. Other estimates from the Russian edition of Forbes suggest that restoring the lost warehouse capacity could cost the company an additional 33 billion rubles ($421 million).
Wildberries currently accounts for 52% of all online orders in Russia, with its network of collection points extending into small towns and villages. The company, founded in 2004 by Tatyana Kim, operates more than 200 logistics facilities. The recent disruption threatens significant losses for the estimated 500,000 to 800,000 small businesses that utilize the platform to sell goods ranging from clothing and cosmetics to appliances and medicines.
Small Business Owners Face Devastation
For many Russian entrepreneurs, the loss of inventory stored in these warehouses has been catastrophic. Merchants have taken to social media to report that their goods were destroyed, with some describing the loss of nearly half of their business. While Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim has stated the company is discussing potential tax relief and compensation measures with Russian authorities, some sellers report that initial payouts cover less than 1% of their total losses.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the severity of the situation, noting that the losses suffered by both the company and the small and medium-sized businesses involved are significant.
Military Logistics Claims
The nature of the goods stored at these facilities has become a point of contention. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described the targeted logistics hubs as facilities involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components and other equipment. While the Kremlin has denied that Wildberries handles military supplies, a search of the retailer’s website conducted on Thursday revealed over 78,000 items labeled as military supplies,
including body armor, rations, first aid kits, and drone equipment such as FPV goggles.
The attacks represent a shift in Kyiv’s strategy, moving from targeting oil refineries and fuel infrastructure to disrupting the consumer logistics networks that sustain the Russian economy. As of late July, Wildberries reported that it was focused on redistributing goods across its remaining warehouses to maintain economic stability, though the company continues to grapple with the aftermath of the fires.
For further reading on the ongoing conflict and its economic consequences, see coverage from Apnews, CNN, The Guardian, and Reuters.
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