Ukraine attacks Wildberries, Russia's biggest online market
Since mid-July, Ukraine has been targeting warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer Wildberries almost every day. Ukraine says it's disrupting front-line shipments. But experts say it's disrupting Russia's economy.
On Sunday, Ukrainian drones targeted Wildberries, Russia's largest online marketplace, in Podolsk, located about 40 kilometers south of Moscow. The attack resulted in a major fire, following previous strikes on Wildberries warehouses in Tver and Salavat. At least nine Wildberries employees have died, with many more injured, and some warehouses halted operations.
Experts estimate the company has lost up to 480 billion rubles worth of goods and a third of its warehouse space. Combined damages to the company and its sellers could reach 800 billion rubles. The attacks have strained Russia's economy, as Wildberries serves both civilian and military purposes. While Kyiv claims the retailer aids Russia's military, Moscow maintains it serves only civilian needs.
The e-commerce consultancy Data Insight estimates Wildberries lost approximately 5.7 billion USD and a third of its warehouse space. Wildberries, often compared to Amazon, saw revenue increase sevenfold between 2021 and 2025, becoming the largest e-commerce platform in Russia. The Kremlin has denied claims that the struck warehouses supplied military equipment, but independent analysis found tens of thousands of military and dual-use goods on the platform.
The attacks disrupt civilians' income, access to goods, and normal life, targeting around 400,000 sellers and 80 million users monthly. Wildberries' CEO, Tatyana Kim, has reached out to the government for support, expecting VTB to play a key role in rescue efforts.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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