{
  "id": 5761278,
  "title": "Russia destroyed most of Ukraine’s big warehouses. Now the country is scrambling to build small ones everywhere",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/russia-destroyed-most-of-ukraines-big-warehouses-now-the-country-is",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-05T10:45:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euromaidan Press",
    "slug": "euromaidan-press",
    "url": "https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/09/05/russia-destroyed-most-of-ukraines-big-warehouses-now-the-country-is-scrambling-to-build-small-ones-everywhere/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On August 30th, the central Silpo supermarket in Lviv ran out of common dry goods such as buckwheat, peas, and barley. Telegram reports from other Ukrainian cities like Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Vinnytsia showed similar gaps on shelves, with shoppers stocking up on essentials like flour, salt, and cereals. Some of Ukraine's largest wine warehouses were also damaged by Russian strikes, potentially leading to shortages of alcoholic beverages. In response, Zelensky ordered the military administrations to operate around the clock, opening a single window for businesses to find relocation sites and connect utilities. However, Russia has destroyed about 90% of Ukraine's modern storage facilities, including 80% of refrigerated warehouses around Kyiv, faster than they can be rebuilt. This has led to retailers, parcel carriers, and the government scrambling to replace the centralized system with numerous small storage sites. Unfortunately, these replacement warehouses quickly become new targets for Russian attacks. For instance, a Nova Poshta warehouse near Kyiv was hit four days after the company began using it, and another was destroyed just a week later. Similarly, Nova Poshta shifted its stock to local branches after losing its advanced robotic fulfillment center and sorting depot in Sviatopetrivske near Kyiv on August 28th. The company is also compensating publishers and shops for destroyed stock. Despite Ukrainian farms continuing to supply the domestic market, individual supermarkets may have a narrower selection due to the shortage of replacement storage. Fozzy Group, a Ukrainian supermarket chain, has frozen office hiring and canceled its planned autumn salary review for office employees due to the increased costs of rebuilding delivery routes and restoring supplies. However, recruitment for supermarkets, warehouses, and production continues, with the company planning to reconsider these restrictions once its financial results become clearer. While commercial warehouse space has returned to pre-war levels in Kyiv, only 2.5% was vacant at the end of June 2026, leaving little room for new storage facilities. Even if smaller warehouses were built, they would take six to twelve months to become operational, as they require refrigeration for meat, dairy products, fruit, and vegetables. Alternative solutions, such as importing stock in smaller batches or delivering directly to shops, may help alleviate the shortage, but many Ukrainian dairy producers lack the resources to supply individual stores across large retail networks.",
  "summary": "Whether they can do it before winter, and at what cost to prices, is the question now hanging over the country's food supply.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}