In brief
Ukrainian drones hit several Wildberries warehouses, Russia’s largest online retailer, causing major losses for thousands of small and medium‑size businesses. The attacks, part of Kyiv’s strategy to target logistics hubs that feed the Russian army, have also struck independent sellers who depend on the platform for their livelihoods. Wildberries has offered temporary discounts and waived shipping fees, but new contracts now exclude liability for drone‑attack losses, leaving many sellers without compensation. The strikes mark another blow to Russia’s war‑time economy, already strained by rising VAT, lost tax breaks, and a surge in business closures.
Ukrainian drones have hit several Wildberries warehouses, Russia’s largest online retailer, striking a blow to thousands of small and medium‑size businesses.
Kyiv has moved beyond oil attacks and is now targeting logistics hubs that supply the Russian army, while inadvertently disrupting the domestic supply chains that many Russian sellers rely on.
One mother of a disabled child, who runs her own store through Wildberries, said she has lost 1 million roubles—a windfall wiped clean—as her warehouse went up in flames.
Earlier this week, two warehouses were hit in Elektrostal and Kotovsk, killing seven night‑shift workers at Kotovsk and injuring others, with an estimated £750 million of goods destroyed.
Wildberries has pledged temporary discounts and waiving shipment fees, but the added “force majeure” clause means it is not liable for losses from drone attacks; many sellers are left without compensation.
More hubs have been targeted in Koledino, Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, adding fresh casualties and raising fears of a continued assault on the Russian e‑commerce market.
Russia’s war‑time business environment already suffers from rising VAT, lost tax breaks and a growing number of company closures, making the attacks on Wildberries another severe nail in the coffin.
