Russia’s retail giant Wildberries is facing a series of devastating drone strikes launched by Ukraine, hitting major distribution centers in regions ranging from the Moscow outskirts to the Stavropol area.
The first wave of attacks knocked out facilities in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and Kotovsk in the Tambov region, a distance of roughly 400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. Seven night‑shift workers were killed – including a fatal wounding in Elektrostal – and dozens more were injured while stocks worth an estimated 750 million pounds were gutted. The victims were largely small‑to‑medium‑sized merchants who rely on Wildberries’ marketplace to reach customers in Russia’s remote corners.
One account that went viral on social media describes a mother of a disabled child who, after losing an entire shipment of stationery, announced that her business was crippled: “I’ve lost 1 million roubles; we’re already getting screwed over from every direction as it is.” Another seller of teenage clothing, after discovering a wildfire had consumed her entire inventory, warned that “the outlook for working with Wildberries is very murky.” The contracts between merchants and the retailer had recently been amended to exclude responsibility for drone attacks in a “force majeure” clause, leaving businesses without compensation.
Wildberries’ owner Tatiana Kim has offered temporary discounts and waived shipping fees to soften the blow, but these measures have failed to quell the rising fear that further strikes could hit other hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk. President Volodymyr Zelenskyo has noted that “we are bringing the war back home – to Russia,” underscoring the campaign’s aim to pressure Russian infrastructure and the army’s supply lines.
The attacks fit into a larger pattern of Ukrainian strikes on Russian logistics, including damaging oil depots, refineries and transport routes that have already led to fuel shortages across Russia. As the front line has settled into a stalemate, Ukraine’s long‑distance drone campaign now focuses increasingly on supply routes, with the goal of crippling the annexed Crimea region’s fuel pipelines and disrupting the potential export of military components.
Beyond the immediate loss of goods, the attacks exacerbate a broader crisis in Russia’s small‑business sector. The government has raised VAT from 20% to 22% and scrapped certain tax breaks, while thousands of small and medium enterprises have closed in the first quarter of 2026 – a 9% increase over the same period in 2025. Countless businesses have been hit by internet shutdowns, a crackdown on messaging apps, and the fuel crisis triggered by Ukraine’s ongoing strikes. Economist Prof. Ruben Eniklopov of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona described the current wave of attacks on Wildberries as “another nail in the coffin” for Russia’s struggling economy.
Wildberries and its rival Ozon serve 85–90% of the Russian economically active population, acting primarily as marketplaces that store, deliver, and process payments for third‑party sellers. The losses from the attacks are not just financial: they represent a severe blow to the livelihoods of dozens of merchants who have no back‑up supply lines. With Russia’s already strained economy, high inflation, a widening budget deficit and a 23% reduction in oil and gas revenues relative to the first half of 2025, the impact of these strikes has far‑reaching consequences for the country’s domestic market.
In a statement following the attacks, Wildberries said it would not abandon its sellers, but the community’s fears of future strikes remain high. The incident underscores the ongoing reality that the war is interweaving into everyday life for Russians across the country, as targeted attacks on logistics hubs and online marketplaces translate into tangible hardships for ordinary entrepreneurs.
