Ukraine strikes destroy over a fifth of Wildberries logistics capacity
Kyiv’s sustained drone campaign against Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries has crippled a significant portion of its logistics network, threatening a sector that accounts for nearly a tenth of Russia's economic output.
Ukraine has destroyed more than 1.18 million square metres of storage space belonging to Wildberries, the Russian online retail giant. Satellite imagery shows the recent strikes have damaged or eliminated over a fifth of the company's total warehouse capacity.
At least 20 Wildberries warehouses have been targeted since July 18 in a campaign of near-nightly attacks. The strikes have sparked major fires and destroyed entire inventories, severely disrupting the logistics network across the country.
The financial toll is mounting rapidly. Analyst Sergei Semko from Data Insight estimates that goods destroyed in the Moscow and Tambov regions alone are worth up to $2.9 billion.
Wildberries stated on Telegram that it has paid a second tranche of financial support to nearly 100,000 sellers whose merchandise was damaged in the blasts. The Kremlin has acknowledged it may need to financially prop up the retailer as it absorbs these losses.
Kyiv justifies the targeting by accusing Wildberries of bolstering Vladimir Putin’s war machine. The platform sells military-adjacent items like night-vision goggles, ammunition pouches and helmets, though the company and the Kremlin deny supplying the army directly.
The attacks also serve a broader economic strategy aimed at destabilizing Russia's financial architecture. Denys Shtilerman, co-founder of arms producer Fire Point, noted that Wildberries is the largest borrower in Russia and its collapse could trigger the failure of major lenders, including state-controlled bank VTB.
For European markets and investors watching the Russian economy, the disruption of Wildberries signals deepening structural strain. Together with competitor Ozon, the platform handles economic activity equivalent to 8.5 per cent of Russia's gross domestic product and supports roughly four million jobs.
This infrastructure damage compounds existing macroeconomic pressures, including a weakening rouble, rising inflation and a recent central bank cut to a 14 per cent key interest rate. The retailer was considered central to the Kremlin's post-war growth plans after the government acquired a 5 per cent stake earlier this year.
The physical destruction coincides with tightening international financial pressure. Following a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US Senate secured an 86-12 procedural vote to advance a sweeping sanctions bill designed to penalise nations continuing to purchase Russian energy exports.
