More Than Seven Warehouses Burned... Ukraine Targets Russia's Largest E-Commerce Company

Seven Wildberries Warehouses Across Russia Hit by Drone Attacks
Warehouse Operations Down 10 Percent, Tens of Thousands of SMEs Suffer Losses
Wildberries Moves to Secure Warehouse Space in Kazakhstan

Ukraine is intensifying pressure on Russia’s logistics network by launching consecutive strikes on warehouses operated by Wildberries, the country's largest e-commerce company.

Billboard of Wildberries, the largest e-commerce company in Russia. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On the 29th (local time), Yonhap News reported that “the Wildberries warehouse in Ryazan, central Russia, was attacked overnight by a Ukrainian drone.” Ryazan authorities stated that “45 drones were shot down overnight, and debris from the crashed drones started a fire, sending six people to the hospital.” Locally sourced video footage showed a large blaze spreading, with parts of the building collapsing.

This series of attacks has continued for more than ten days. Since the 18th, at least seven Wildberries warehouses have been hit by drones across Russia, including in Elektrostal near Moscow, Kotovsk in Tambov Oblast, and Saint Petersburg. As a result, warehouse operation rates have dropped by about 10%, reportedly causing losses for tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses that sell their products on the Wildberries platform. Wildberries has approximately 81 million monthly users.

According to the Russian daily Kommersant, in response to the successive attacks, Wildberries has begun securing warehouse space in Kazakhstan and is reportedly planning to secure all available logistics facilities for rent in the region.

Ukraine claims that Wildberries warehouses serve as transit channels for delivering drone components and military supplies to Russian forces. Some analysts interpret Ukraine’s actions as an attempt to disrupt supply lines, on top of ongoing instability in Russia’s rear-area energy supply, to pressure Russia’s middle class into feeling the impact of the war.

The Moscow region of Russia attacked by Ukrainian drones. Photo to assist with understanding the article. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

On the same day, RVB—a merged entity of Wildberries and Rus—issued a statement saying, “We evacuated the Ryazan logistics facility in accordance with safety regulations.” The Ryazan warehouse will not be accepting goods for the time being. The company did not provide a separate statement regarding the allegations of military supply shipments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with U.S. Fox News aired the previous day that, regarding the direction of the war, “the initiative in this war is no longer in the hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin.” He added, “We want to end this war, and so do U.S. President Donald Trump and Europe, but Putin does not,” he asserted.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.