Three months after strikes on Wildberries and Ozon warehouses, workers and sellers describe the damage
Since July 18, 2026, Ukrainian drones have regularly hit warehouses of Russia's biggest online marketplaces, Wildberries and Ozon. The Bereg journalists' cooperative collected accounts from employees about safety, pay and daily life.
Ukrainian drones have regularly struck logistics centers of Russia's two largest online marketplaces, Wildberries and Ozon, since July 18, 2026. The first hits landed on Wildberries sites in Elektrostal, near Moscow, and Kotovsk in the Tambov region. The platforms matter greatly to Russia's economy: they offer shoppers low prices, workers well-paid warehouse jobs and entrepreneurs a way to grow their businesses. The independent journalists' cooperative Bereg examined how the attacks have affected people's livelihoods, and Meduza has published the report in full.
Scale of the attacks
Ukraine first attacked an Ozon warehouse overnight on August 21–22, at a logistics center in Chapayevsk, Samara region. By the time of publication at least eight Ozon facilities had been hit. According to IBC Global, Russia recorded 49 attacks on 36 warehouse sites belonging to various companies between July 18 and September 24.
Why workers stay
Wildberries says 61% of its warehouse specialists earn an average of 125,000 rubles a month, while Ozon offers up to 126,000 rubles before taxes. In 2026 the average salary topped 100,000 rubles in only 25 of Russia's 89 regions. Wildberries has more than 200 logistics facilities, and Ozon more than 150.
The employees interviewed, some under changed names, say they intend to stay. Dmitry, who works at an Ozon warehouse in Saratov, says shelters were set up there after the attacks and workers may now carry a basic phone into the operations area. Olga, who inspects returned goods in Nizhny Tagil, says she fears not making it home to her children. Oksana, who works in Kursk, believes Wildberries is "working for the war effort," citing a Meduza investigation that found 1,882 items worth about 18.6 million rubles ordered through the platform for Russian troops.
Evacuation problems
Evacuations were poorly organized at the first warehouses hit. In Elektrostal on July 18, security guards kept workers inside, people had to open gates by hand and crowded through narrow doorways. The outlet Msk1.ru reported that supervisors in one section told staff to shelter in the mezzanine, a shelving structure that employees describe as dangerous.
