Ukraine drone strikes hit Wildberries warehouses across Russia, killing at least nine and destroying billions in goods

A week of strikes across Russia

Ukrainian drones began targeting Wildberries warehouses on Saturday 18 July, hitting facilities in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and Kotovsk in the Tambov region, about 400 km from the Ukrainian border. Seven night-shift workers were killed in Kotovsk and one in Elektrostal, with dozens injured. The strikes ignited fires that took three days to extinguish at the Elektrostal site and destroyed an estimated $1 billion in goods, wiping out between 6% and 9% of the company's storage capacity. On Monday 20 July, another warehouse in Koledino, south of Moscow, was struck. Overnight attacks through Wednesday 22 July hit logistics centres in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region, and a further strike was reported early Thursday 23 July in the Voronezh region. Russian authorities confirmed a ninth fatality from the Wednesday strikes.

Casualties and destruction

At least nine people have been killed and dozens injured across the five regions. The fires sent enormous plumes of black smoke over cities, destroying several billion dollars' worth of inventory, according to the Financial Times. Wildberries owner Tatiana Kim confirmed additional casualties beyond the initial toll. The company, which reported turnover of Rbs6.1tn ($78bn) last year, is a mass-market platform serving lower-income Russians outside the major cities, with collection points in small towns and villages.

Kyiv's justification and Moscow's denial

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes were retaliation for Russian attacks on Ukrainian postal service Nova Poshta's warehouses and that Wildberries' logistics network had been used to supply the Russian military with "drone components, navigation equipment and other gear".

We are, with all justice, returning the war home to Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied the military use claim. However, the Financial Times noted that sellers on Wildberries offer goods that can be used to make combat drones or as basic supplies for soldiers, including body armour and helmets, many imported from China.

Economic fallout and seller anger

Alexander Kolyandr, a director at Eurasia Group, warned that the loss of goods would put thousands of traders out of business, resulting in unpaid taxes and defaulted loans, and deprive the state of tens of billions of roubles in tax revenue from a major taxpayer. The strikes have frustrated hundreds of Russian sellers who depend on the platform. One woman, a mother of a disabled child, posted a viral social media message saying she had lost 1 million roubles ($12,700) and built the business herself.

The loss of the goods will put thousands of traders out of business, resulting in unpaid taxes, defaulted loans and the like.

Russia's response and broader campaign

The day after the initial strikes, on Sunday 19 July, Russia launched its largest missile attack on Kyiv since the 2022 invasion, firing at least 35 ballistic and hypersonic cruise missiles, according to the New York Times. The Ukrainian campaign against Wildberries follows months of drone strikes on Russian oil refineries that have caused fuel shortages and rationing. The attacks on e-commerce are now threatening to upend one of Russia's largest companies, which had pitched President Vladimir Putin on an audacious global expansion and a challenge to the US-led payment system.