Wildberries: Russia's businesses under strain from Ukraine's attacks on retail warehouses - BBC News

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# Russia's businesses under strain from Ukraine's attacks on Wildberries

![Smoke rises from a Wildberries warehouse on fire after an attack in Nevinnomyssk, Russia, July 22, 2026](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1104/cpsprodpb/3c64/live/d7b13ca0-85f3-11f1-8ade-a7a676c613b9.jpg)Image source, Reuters

Image caption, 

Four Wildberries warehouses have been targeted, including this one in Nevinnomyssk early on Wednesday

BySofia Volyanova, Yaroslava Kiryukhina, Amalia Zatari and Tatiana Kovtun, BBC News Russian

- Published

  23 July 2026, 00:06 BST

Updated 4 hours ago

**Ukrainian drones have hit several retail warehouses belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer, Wildberries, in a matter of days, dealing a blow to a large number of small and medium-sized businesses.**

After months of drone attacks on oil depots and refineries, Kyiv says it is now targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment, and disrupting supplies to the Russian army.

But it has also frustrated hundreds of Russian sellers who depend on online marketplaces for their livelihoods, making the war feel closer to home after almost four and a half years.

"I am a mother of a disabled child, I've built the business myself," one woman complained on an expletive-laden social media post that went viral.

"I've lost 1m roubles (£9,500; $12,700)... We're already getting screwed over from every direction as it is."

In Ukraine's first attack on Wildberries at the weekend, two warehouses were hit, at Elektrostal east of Moscow and in Kotovsk in the Tambov region, some 400km (250 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Seven workers on a nightshift were killed in Kotovsk and one was fatally wounded at Elektrostal. Dozens more were injured and goods worth an estimated at £750m ($1bn) were destroyed.

Kyiv said it had struck "major logistics facilities" used to "supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment".

![A map of Eastern Europe highlighting Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. Several red explosion icons mark reported strikes on Wildberries facilities in Russia near Elektrostal (close to Moscow), Tambov, Krasnodar, and Nevinnomyssk. The map notes these strikes occurred between 18 and 22 July. Crimea is labelled as having been annexed by Russia in 2014. A small inset globe shows the region’s location in Europe, and a scale bar indicates distances of 100 km and 100 miles.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1600/cpsprodpb/d47b/live/e52279e0-85b6-11f1-bee8-53ce494e1abc.png)

More logistical sites were targeted early on Monday, including another Wildberries warehouse in Koledino south of Moscow. Further attacks overnight into Wednesday hit Wildberries logistic hubs at Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region.

The company's owner Tatiana Kim said further casualties had been reported.

"We are, quite justly, bringing the war back home - to Russia," said Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 and recent Russian attacks have hit Ukrainian warehouses and cargo terminals.

Sorting terminals for Ukraine's largest private postal operator, Nova Poshta, have come under attack, so too have warehouses owned by retail chain ATB and confectionery group Roshen.

- [Ukrainian drones hit Russian online giant retailer Wildberries for second time](/news/articles/c36de9n4pxpo)

  - Published

    19 hours ago
- [Who is Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ukraine's new commander-in-chief?](/news/articles/c93483k0lp1o)

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With the situation on the front line now close to a stalemate, Ukraine's long-distance drone campaign has hit supply routes and energy facilities, in effect cutting off annexed Crimea and leading to fuel shortages across Russia.

Businesses had already been disrupted before the warehouse attacks, but now some have lost much of their stock overnight.

Wildberries and its rival Ozon are used by 85-90% of Russia's economically active population, it is estimated. In many remote places lacking accessible stores, Russians depend on them for much of their shopping, from clothes to household appliances.

![A screengrab shows images of drone components as displayed in Russian on a Russian website](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/1680/cpsprodpb/84cf/live/470fbe70-85f2-11f1-926f-c90d1bcfbc84.png)Image source, Wildberries

Image caption, 

A screengrab from the Wildberries site shows a search for "components for drones"

The Kremlin has denied that online platforms are used for army supplies, but a variety of military-related goods such as body armour are on sale, alongside items with both civilian and drone-production applications.

Pro-war bloggers say the platforms are routinely relied on by volunteers to buy kit that is then sent to the front.

There is, however, no independent confirmation that the warehouses targeted in the attacks stored these supplies.

![ Satellite view of the Wildberries logistics hub in Elektrostal near Moscow shows warehouses engulfed in massive fires and heavy damage after Ukrainian drones struck the site](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/standard/957/cpsprodpb/4db7/live/6be7f7e0-85e7-11f1-8ade-a7a676c613b9.jpg)Image source, Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2026

Image caption, 

A satellite image shows the extent of the fire that engulfed the Wildberries hub in Elektrostal, east of Moscow

Unlike Western retail giant Amazon, which sells goods directly alongside its marketplace business, Wildberries and Ozon act almost entirely as marketplaces, connecting independent sellers with buy