Wildberries says Ukraine's drone strikes are force majeure – does that get the marketplace off the hook?

In late July 2026, Ukrainian forces began targeting Wildberries logistics warehouses with drone strikes. By July 29, 11 warehouses had been hit, destroying large quantities of goods and causing losses worth millions of rubles for sellers. The marketplace announced relief measures, but payments started only days later and covered only a fraction of the losses.

Under Russian civil law, a warehouse custodian is responsible for goods stored there, including in case of fire, unless the fire results from force majeure. Wildberries' updated seller agreement, effective July 7, classifies drone attacks as force majeure, potentially releasing the marketplace from liability. However, lawyers point out that such a contractual clause does not automatically absolve liability – a court must determine whether the attack was truly unavoidable and whether the warehouse had any safety deficiencies.

Wildberries' own insurance covers goods only during transit from the warehouse, not while in storage. External insurers may offer policies covering drone strikes, but many now include force majeure exclusions after the recent attacks. Experts advise sellers to diversify storage by using their own warehouses or multiple locations to mitigate risk.

If goods are destroyed, sellers should immediately document remaining inventory and save all data from the Wildberries dashboard. Compensation may still be possible if the warehouse had fire safety violations or failed to take reasonable protective measures. Legal experts expect court cases to determine who bears the multibillion-ruble losses.