Publishers halt book sales on Wildberries amid Ukrainian drone attacks

Russian book publishers, both large and small, are halting sales on Wildberries due to ongoing Ukrainian drone attacks on the marketplace's warehouses, reports Russian business daily Kommersant. The newspaper cited sources at publishing houses, confirming seven such cases. Boomkniga, a comic book and graphic novel publisher, announced on July 30 that it would suspend deliveries to marketplaces, advising customers to buy directly from independent bookstores or via its website.

Alpaca also changed its approach with Wildberries, stating pre-orders on the platform should not be expected soon. Kion Stroki, a service operated by MTS, reported isolated instances of independent publishers temporarily suspending work with marketplaces while reviewing storage and promotion terms, often opting for their own warehouses or alternative distribution channels.

Eksmo, another publisher, is still assessing the impact of the strikes on Wildberries' warehouses and shifting to deliveries from its own facilities, leading to increased costs. A 2025 report by the Digital Development Ministry indicated the book industry's turnover grew by 11% year-over-year, with marketplaces and e-books remaining the primary drivers of the industry, as opposed to declining bookstore sales due to pricing pressures.

Ukrainian drones have been repeatedly targeting Wildberries logistics centers since mid-July, with the costs potentially surpassing 100 billion rubles, according to sources cited by The Bell, an independent Russian media outlet. Meduza, committed to transparency, has this story written by a human journalist and translated into English using AI, with additional review by their staff to ensure accuracy.