Ukraine strikes Wildberries warehouse in Volgograd, Ozon evacuates Tatarstan hub as drone campaign against Russian e-commerce giants intensifies

Ukrainian forces launched fresh drone strikes deep inside Russia on the night of 30–31 July, hitting a Wildberries logistics facility in Volgograd and a Lukoil oil refinery, while the rival e-retailer Ozon evacuated its warehouse in Zelenodolsk, Tatarstan, following a drone alert.

Escalating campaign against Wildberries

Since 18 July, Ukraine has attacked at least 16 Wildberries facilities, according to the company, with the latest strike in Volgograd leaving the warehouse in flames. Governor Andrei Bocharov said five people were injured and a residential block and private house were damaged. Wildberries confirmed the fire but said no staff were hurt. The campaign began with an assault on the Elektrostal logistics centre near Moscow and has since spread across Russia, including sites in Voronezh, Krasnodar, Nevinnomyssk, St. Petersburg, Penza, Udmurtia, Perm, and now Volgograd and Zelenodolsk.

Ozon caught in the crossfire

Ozon, Russia's second-largest e-commerce platform, evacuated its Zelenodolsk warehouse on Friday after a Ukrainian drone alert, though the facility was undamaged and operations resumed. The company had warned a day earlier of risks to its infrastructure, and analysts at Vector Capital noted that the absence of attacks on Ozon so far appeared lucky, but the risk remained 'high and very real'. Ozon and Wildberries warehouses often sit next to each other, including in Zelenodolsk, and it was unclear which company Ukraine was targeting. Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert Brovdi posted a cryptic Telegram message that 'the ozone concentration exceeds the critical norm.'

Ukraine's rationale

Kyiv says Wildberries is a 'vital component' of Russian military logistics, used by soldiers to buy radios, body armour and drone components. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes aim to 'push Russia toward diplomacy through complicating the production of weapons components, oil and other economic losses and returning this war to its "native harbour".' Denys Schtilerman, CEO of Ukrainian arms firm Fire Point, told media that targeting Wildberries could help 'cause a collapse of the Russian banking system' because the marketplace is one of the country's largest debtors, with billions of euros in loans from state-controlled VTB bank now effectively lost.

“The main goal is for our long-range pressure to further push Russia toward diplomacy through complicating the production of weapons components, oil and other economic losses and returning this war to its 'native harbour'.”

Economic fallout for sellers

The destroyed inventories have taken a heavy toll. Analyst Sergei Semko estimated that goods lost in just the Moscow and Tambov region warehouses were worth up to $2.9 billion. Wildberries said it has paid a second tranche of financial support to nearly 100,000 sellers whose goods were damaged. The platform, founded by Tatyana Kim (Russia's richest woman), hosts millions of third-party sellers and operates a vast network of sorting centres. The attacks are shaking the marketplace model, with small and medium-sized entrepreneurs bearing the brunt.

Wider impact and sanctions

The European Union imposed sanctions on the financial units of both Wildberries and Ozon on 24 July. Meanwhile, the same night as the Volgograd warehouse hit, drones struck the Lukoil-Volgogradneftepererabotka refinery, which has an annual capacity of 14.8 million tonnes and had already been forced to halt operations after an attack in late May. Russia's defence ministry said its forces launched missile and drone strikes overnight on port infrastructure and vessels near Odesa, hitting fuel depots and a cargo ship carrying military supplies.