Wildberries expands in Kazakhstan as drone attacks batter Russian warehouses

Wildberries, Russia's leading online retailer, is constructing two new warehouse complexes in Kazakhstan to expand its operations, reported The Moscow Times. The company intends to inaugurate these facilities in the first quarter of 2027, with a combined total of 260,000 square meters of space. This announcement was made by Kazakh Trade Minister Arman Shakkaliyev, who disclosed that Wildberries will occupy 160,000 square meters in Almaty and 100,000 in Astana.

Currently, the company leases 46,000 square meters in Kazakhstan, and no additional warehouse applications have been filed.

In response to Ukrainian drone attacks on its Russian warehouses, the Russian government is seeking ways to aid Wildberries and its subsidiaries. State-owned bank VTB is anticipated to play a pivotal role in this support. Wildberries initiated a search for vacant warehouse spaces in Kazakhstan after experiencing multiple drone strikes on its facilities in Russia.

Ukrainian drones targeted Wildberries' logistics hub in Krasny Bor, Leningrad Oblast, on August 4, and also hit warehouses in Chekhov, Moscow Oblast, on the same day. These attacks began on July 18, with warehouses affected covering a combined area of 1.21–1.47 million square meters. This represents 17.2%–22.2% of the marketplace's publicly disclosed 5.2 million square meters of logistics infrastructure.

The assault resulted in the damage of at least 18 warehouses, including a 250,000-square-meter center in Elektrostal, which was entirely destroyed by the fire.