Ukraine has launched a series of drone attacks targeting warehouses operated by Wildberries, Russia’s largest e-commerce platform, striking at least nine facilities across four days. The attacks have killed at least nine people and destroyed merchandise valued in the billions of dollars, marking a shift in Kyiv’s long-range strike campaign from targeting energy infrastructure to disrupting logistics networks.
The warehouses targeted span approximately 552,000 square meters, representing roughly one-tenth of Wildberries’ total storage capacity. According to Moscow-based research firm Data Insight, losses have reached an estimated 170 billion rubles, approximately $2.2 billion. However, the primary financial impact falls on independent merchants whose inventory was stored in the facilities rather than on the company itself.
Small business owners have expressed significant distress over their losses. Multiple vendors reported losing substantial portions of their stock across multiple strikes, with some suffering near-total business losses. Wildberries recently changed its service terms, eliminating liability protection for goods destroyed in force majeure events including drone attacks. The company has begun compensating some sellers, though merchants report receiving only a fraction of their losses.
Wildberries, founded by billionaire Tatyana Kim, has become integral to commerce across Russia, particularly in lower-income regions outside major cities. The platform’s extensive network of over 200 warehouses and logistics centers makes comprehensive protection against drone attacks impractical. Ukraine has characterized the strikes as legitimate military operations, noting that the platform facilitates sales of military-related equipment and components. Analysts suggest the campaign aims both at disrupting military logistics and undermining the image of normalcy the Kremlin has attempted to maintain domestically despite the ongoing conflict.
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