Ukraine keeps hitting Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer
Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck warehouses of Russia's biggest e-commerce platform Wildberries in recent weeks, causing heavy losses and several employee deaths. Kyiv says the company aids Russia's military logistics, a claim Moscow denies.
A fire broke out early Sunday at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk, about 40 kilometers south of Moscow, after a large overnight Ukrainian drone attack, most of which was intercepted by Russian air defenses. On Friday, a separate Wildberries facility in Tver was hit, and a day before that a warehouse in Salavat was set ablaze. Roughly 20 Wildberries logistics hubs have faced near-daily attacks in recent weeks. At least nine employees have died and many more been injured, while several warehouses have suspended operations.
Moscow-based consultancy Data Insight estimates Wildberries has lost goods worth up to 480 billion rubles (about $5.7 billion), along with roughly a third of its warehouse capacity. Combined losses for the company and its sellers could reach 800 billion rubles.
Why the warehouses are targeted
Kyiv contends the warehouses were used to distribute military-related supplies, including navigation systems and drone components, to Russian forces. Moscow rejects this. An analysis by independent outlet Verska found tens of thousands of military and dual-use items listed on the platform between May and August, worth hundreds of millions of rubles in sales.
Geopolitical analyst Fabrice Pothier described Wildberries as a choke point of Russian society and its economy. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said disrupting the company also hits its major creditors, state-backed banks Sberbank and VTB, potentially triggering wider economic fallout.
Impact on sellers and the company
Wildberries controls about half of Russia's e-commerce market and serves roughly 80 million users monthly. Around 400,000 sellers have reportedly been affected by the strikes. The company also carries substantial debt, estimated as high as $14 billion, with VTB as its largest creditor. Sberbank has signaled it is preparing to absorb losses. Wildberries co-founder Tatyana Kim has sought government support, though no decision has been announced.
