Ukraine targets Wildberries warehouses in extensive drone campaign

Ukrainian forces have launched a series of drone attacks on warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, since mid-July. The strikes have hit facilities in the Moscow region, the south, and as far east as the Urals, destroying an estimated 20% of the company's warehouse space and causing losses that analysts say could reach billions of dollars.

The attacks have disrupted the operations of a platform that handles up to half of all online orders in Russia and supports hundreds of thousands of individual sellers. Wildberries, which expanded from a modest Moscow-apartment startup in 2004 to a nationwide logistics network, has taken on large loans from banks such as VTB to finance its growth. The damage to its depots is expected to strain the retailer's ability to repay those debts, raising concerns for the lenders.

"These are not military and high-value political targets, therefore they're not especially secured, they're not really built to be able to shrug off drone strikes," said Russia expert Mark Galeotti.

Ukrainian officials say the campaign aims to hinder the flow of goods that could be used by Russian forces and to create economic pressure on the Russian banking sector. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said the strikes are intended to disrupt military supplies and generate public discontent.

Wildberries has responded by reinforcing some sites, adjusting its supply chain to use smaller "partner hubs," and offering limited financial relief to affected sellers. The company also altered its seller policy to classify drone attacks as a force-majeure event, reducing its liability for damaged stock.

The broader impact includes losses for small and medium-size businesses that rely on the platform for sales, with many reporting lost revenue and seeking government assistance. Analysts note that the attacks could further complicate Russia's already strained business environment.