Eight people died on July 18 when drones hit Wildberries logistics hubs in Kotovsk and Elektrostal. It was the start of a run of strikes on Russia’s biggest online retailer, a company at the center of the country’s consumer economy.
Six days later, the campaign reached the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Leningrad region Governor Alexander Drozdenko said a Wildberries warehouse was burning after a Ukrainian drone attack, with three people injured. Reuters counted five Wildberries warehouses hit since July 18, together about 10% of the company’s logistics capacity.
The overnight strikes of July 24
Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces, confirmed the raids on social media. United24 Media reported that long-range drones struck the Shushary complex in St. Petersburg, about 106,000 square meters, and the Utkina Zavod logistics park in Novosaratovka, roughly 210,000 square meters. A third target was a sorting center in Simferopol, Crimea.
Wildberries said work at the two St. Petersburg-area sites was “temporarily suspended.” In Simferopol, staff were evacuated. Local authorities claimed air defenses intercepted 59 UAVs, but footage showed fires at the logistics sites anyway. The outlet said the drones were reportedly Fire Point FP-1 models.
Why Kyiv calls it a military target
Ukraine’s argument is that Wildberries is part of the infrastructure behind Russia’s army. United24 Media wrote that Ukrainian officials and analysts have described the platform as a channel through which soldiers and volunteer groups buy drone components, communications gear and body armor. The International Business Times added that Kyiv points to alleged defense-sector ties and links to VTB, a sanctioned state bank.
Moscow rejects that and denies the company handles any military supplies. The stakes are broad: with rival Ozon and smaller players, it sells goods and services worth the equivalent of 8.5% of Russia’s gross domestic product and employs 4 million people, more than 5% of the workforce, Reuters reported.
The damage to sellers
By July 29, the International Business Times counted at least seven damaged warehouses, including one in Ryazan that stopped work after a fire. Hundreds of thousands of independent merchants rely on the platform, and inventory losses and late deliveries are piling up. Wildberries has paid out 40 million rubles, or roughly $509,000, to victims and their families.
Anadolu Agency reported on August 5 that the strikes had spread from St. Petersburg to the Udmurt Republic, with at least eight deaths. The company runs more than 200 facilities, which kept deliveries moving, though more slowly. Its finances were already thin: short-term debt had surged nearly eightfold to $9.9 billion by the end of last year.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak ordered ministries to finalize emergency support measures by August 10. Sber bank started restructuring loans for affected merchants, and Wildberries said its support payments will cover more than 97,000 businesses.
Sources
- Warehouse of Russian online retailer Wildberries near St. Petersburg on fire after drone attack, governor says (Reuters, carried by The Star)
- "Millions Watched Billions Burn": Ukraine Hits Wildberries Warehouses Across Russia and Crimea (United24 Media)
- Russia's Largest Online Retailer Being Targeted By Ukrainian Drones (International Business Times)
- Russian E-Commerce Giant Wildberries Heavily Suffers from Ukrainian Drone Attacks (Anadolu Agency)
