Ukraine disables 7 of 10 Wildberries logistics centers in massive overnight drone attack on Moscow

Overnight drone assault on Moscow region

Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack across the Moscow region overnight on 16 August, deploying hundreds of drones against Russian territory. The attack targeted several cities across the Moscow region, with Wildberries warehouses among the primary sites struck. Russia's Ministry of Defence said it destroyed 822 Ukrainian drones overnight, with approximately 600 drones detected heading toward the Russian capital on Sunday. Moscow region governor Andrey Vorobyov called the assault "one of the most massive Ukrainian drone attacks of recent times." Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin separately described it as "one of the most massive attacks in recent memory." An 83-year-old man was killed in the attack. An enormous cloud of smoke rose over Moscow as the strikes hit multiple sites across the region, with footage showing firefighting helicopters heading toward burning warehouses.

Wildberries logistics centers disabled

Ukraine's Defence Ministry said the strikes put 7 of the 10 largest logistics centers of Wildberries out of service. Wildberries is Russia's biggest online retailer, often referred to as "the Russian Amazon." The Koledino industrial park warehouse, located 45 kilometres south of Moscow and covering approximately 250,000 square metres, was the company's largest facility by surface area. After the strike, a large fire broke out and the center ceased operations. An enormous column of smoke rose from the Koledino facility after the strike. The Domodedovo warehouse also suspended operations after a vast fire erupted at the site. Footage showed thick plumes of smoke billowing over the Koledino site, with firefighting helicopters deployed to the burning building. The Ukrainian Defence Ministry identified the Koledino center as the largest of the Wildberries facilities.

Why Wildberries is a target

Kyiv accuses Wildberries of handling military goods alongside its commercial operations. The company sells a wide range of military equipment online, including drone components and bulletproof vests. Striking these hubs damages both the commercial logistics network and the military supply chain simultaneously. The EU sanctioned Wildberries' banking division in July for its financial contribution to the Russian state budget. Wildberries is a key node in Russian logistics, making its distribution network a dual-purpose target in Kyiv's assessment. The company's role in moving materials useful to the armed forces has been cited repeatedly by Ukrainian officials as justification for the strikes.

Previous strikes on Wildberries

The overnight assault follows a series of raids against Wildberries warehouses in recent weeks. Centers in Elektrostal, Krasnodar, Nevinnomyssk and St. Petersburg have been struck. On 11 August, Ukrainian forces hit another Wildberries logistics center in the village of Novaya Usman in the Voronezh oblast. The previous strikes targeted individual facilities in different parts of Russia, while the 16 August operation concentrated on the Moscow region. The pattern of strikes points to a sustained campaign targeting the company's distribution infrastructure across multiple Russian regions, from the Moscow suburbs to the south and northwest of the country. The 16 August operation disabled the majority of the company's largest logistics hubs in a single coordinated attack.