In brief
Ukrainian drone strikes have devastated several Wildberries warehouses across Russia, causing casualties and destroying millions of roubles worth of stock. The attacks not only hit logistics hubs supplying the Russian military but also imperiled thousands of small and medium‑size businesses that rely on Wildberries’ marketplace. Owners of independent retailers report severe losses, with no compensation for drone‑related damage, despite new force‑majeure clauses. The strikes have amplified existing economic pressures from sanctions, rising VAT, and the fuel crisis, deepening the strain on Russia’s civilian economy.
Wildberries warehouses set ablaze by Ukrainian drones
Ukrainian drones have hit several Wildberries warehouses in a matter of days, rattling Russia’s largest online retailer and sending shock waves through the country’s small‑ and medium‑size business community.
The first strike, over the weekend, damaged warehouses in Elektrostal and Kotovsk, killing seven night‑shift workers and destroying goods valued at an estimated £750m. Senior Wildberries trader Tatiana Kim confirmed further casualties in later attacks on Koledino, Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk.
Employees and independent sellers have shared the tension; one stationer’s business inventory was entirely destroyed, while a teenage‑clothing retailer lost over 1.4m roubles worth of stock. Sellers now face a murky future, with no compensation promised and a clause added to contracts that excludes Wildberries from liability for drone strikes.
The attacks coincide with growing economic pressures: a rise in VAT, discontinued tax breaks, internet shutdowns, and a fuel crisis sparked by Ukrainian strikes on oil infrastructure. Despite large financial reserves, Russia’s war in Ukraine is seizing resources, pushing small businesses toward the brink of collapse.
Wildberries, along with rival Ozon, is a marketplace that connects independent sellers with buyers across Russia, storing and delivering goods but also absorbing most losses when warehouses burn. The company’s owner has announced temporary discounts and waived shipping fees, yet the uncertainty remains as further strikes loom.
