Ukraine Drone Strikes Wreck 20% of Wildberries Storage
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- Ukraine has struck around 20 Wildberries warehouse sites since July 18, with Reuters' satellite imagery review showing at least 1.18 million square meters of storage damaged or destroyed — more than a fifth of the company's capacity.
- Vasily Klimov, who runs one of 98,000 Wildberries pick-up points in Russia, said daily parcel deliveries fell from 400 to about 150, and over 3,100 franchised pick-up points were listed for sale on Avito as of Wednesday.
- Wildberries and other e-commerce platforms handle goods and services worth 8.5% of Russia's economy, while Sberbank may raise loan-loss provisions after roughly 300 companies sought to restructure loans following the attacks.
- Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said on July 24 the bank would watch whether supply disruptions feed inflation, with rates at 14% — economist Elina Ribakova warned supply shocks could slow or halt rate cuts.
- Wildberries has made initial voluntary compensation payments to more than 97,000 sellers who lost stock, while the Kremlin has discussed possible state support including loans, tax breaks, or subsidies.
- Ukraine frames the strikes as a campaign to 'bring the war home' to ordinary Russians; at least 13 people have been killed in the warehouse attacks, while Russia this week killed 17 in retaliatory strikes on Kyiv-area warehouses it alleged stored drone components.
- A Kremlin source told Reuters that 'there will be a wave of bankruptcies' costing 'hundreds of billions of roubles,' as small businesses with 'absolutely nothing to do with the war' bear the brunt of the disruption.
Why it matters: Wildberries handles 8.5% of Russia's economy, so the loss of over a fifth of its storage capacity and 3,100 franchise pick-up points flooding Avito directly threaten tens of thousands of small businesses. Ribakova said the supply shocks could force the central bank to slow rate cuts from 14%, while Sberbank may raise loan-loss provisions for 300 affected borrowers.
