Wildberries can lose a fifth of its network and over half its main hubs at once
Estimates of how much of Wildberries Ukraine has burned run from a fifth of the network to well over half. Which is right depends on what you count. And some of the loudest claims don’t survive a check.
Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have targeted the warehouses of Wildberries, Russia's Amazon equivalent, with varying reports on the extent of the damage. Estimates range from a fifth of the company's network to over half, but these figures differ based on what they account for. By clarifying each count, it becomes apparent that the campaign's impact is heavier than initially thought.
Ukraine has focused its drone attacks on a handful of key hubs that handle most of the goods, while the majority of smaller depots remain largely untouched. Wildberries operates thousands of small sorting points, and the loss of even one would be inconsequential. The company is a crucial platform in Russia, handling nearly half of all online purchases, akin to Amazon's presence in the West.
However, Ukraine's attacks are not driven by consumer goods alone. Estonian military intelligence reports that Wildberries supplies the Russian armed forces with essential equipment like body armor and drone parts, a claim the company denies. In response to the strikes, Wildberries removed its "SVO" label, which previously grouped those goods together before pulling them from the platform and continuing sales under other categories.
To avoid camera presence, warehouse workers were barred from carrying phones with cameras. The debate centers around the term "network." The bulk of Wildberries' physical presence is dispersed across numerous small sorting points, making the loss of any one of them seem insignificant. When considering the entire network, the damage amounts to roughly a fifth.
However, when measured against the 2 dozen hubs that house over half of the company's space, the consequences are severe—over a third of these hubs are damaged, and another estimate suggests more than half are out of action. The discrepancy between the size of a building and the damage it sustains is easily overlooked, and the Koledino hub near Moscow exemplifies this.
Covering over 200,000 square meters, its fire on July 28th destroyed a neighboring warehouse operated by a different chain while the Wildberries hub remained operational. Ukraine has concentrated its drone strikes on the major hubs that move the most goods. Measured across all of Wildberries' 200+ warehouses, the damage appears minor.
However, when focusing on the largest hubs, the strikes result in losses exceeding half. The destruction extends beyond the warehouses themselves. At least eight people have been killed in these drone attacks, including warehouse employees and residents living nearby when the drones struck. Beyond just floor space, the pressure from these strikes is causing Wildberries to expand its operations.
The company is exploring storage options in Kazakhstan, seeking warehouses beyond Ukraine's reach to mitigate future attacks.
Written by urgent.news from Euromaidan Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
