Russian cosmetics entrepreneur urges tax relief for Wildberries sellers after warehouse attacks

Marina Gorshkova, who runs a cosmetics brand followed by 1.3 million users on Instagram, recorded a video asking Russia’s leadership to intervene after a series of Ukrainian attacks on Wildberries logistics facilities. She said many small and medium-sized sellers have been hit by fires at the e-commerce platform’s warehouses, threatening their ability to continue operating.

Gorshkova noted that she has paid 45 million rubles in taxes over the past 18 months and warned that a shutdown would halt those contributions, affecting the state budget. She urged officials to consider a tax exemption for Wildberries sellers for at least a year and to ask banks to grant a loan-payment holiday, allowing businesses to recover and maintain regular loan repayments.

"If we close tomorrow, those taxes will stop coming into the treasury. The same thing will happen with other sellers who are in exactly the same situation right now," she said.

She also called for greater oversight of Wildberries’ handling of seller obligations, saying she has been unable to retrieve her own merchandise from the company's warehouse. The video quickly attracted about 10,000 likes.

Ukrainian forces have been targeting Wildberries logistics centers since mid-July, with drone strikes reported in the Moscow, Tambov, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Leningrad, St. Petersburg, Voronezh regions and occupied Crimea.