Ukrainian drone forces have launched a targeted campaign against Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, striking over a dozen logistics centers across multiple regions since July 18.
The scale of the operation has shifted from isolated strikes to a systematic assault on the supply chain of Russia’s Amazon
. In less than two weeks, Ukrainian drones have hit depots in the Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tambov, and Krasnodar regions, as well as the occupied Crimean Peninsula. The strategy targets the physical infrastructure of e-commerce to make the consequences of the invasion visible to ordinary Russian citizens.
Wildberries Logistics and the Cost of Disruption
Wildberries, founded in 2004 by Tatjana Kim and Vladislav Bakaltsjoek, has grown from a small apartment-based apparel shop into a marketplace processing some 20 million orders daily. With a network of at least two hundred warehouses across Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Armenia, the company is a critical pillar of the Russian economy, particularly in remote areas where residents rely heavily on online platforms.
The drone campaign has begun to erode this capacity. Media reports estimate the strikes may have disrupted roughly 10 percent of Wildberries’ total warehouse capacity. The company’s co-founder, Tatjana Kim—whose net worth is estimated at $7 billion—expressed unbeschrijfelijke pijn (indescribable pain) on Telegram and promised compensation for affected entrepreneurs and families.
The operational strain is forcing the retailer to look beyond Russian borders. According to Kommersant, Wildberries has begun searching for warehouse space in Kazakhstan, preparing to lease available vacant capacity to mitigate the loss of domestic sites.
Strategic Targets: From Elektrostal to Ryazan
The campaign began on July 18 with strikes on facilities in Kotovsk and the town of Elektrostal, located 58 kilometers east of Moscow. The attacks expanded rapidly, hitting Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk on July 22, followed by strikes in the Shushary district of St. Petersburg, Novosaratovka in the Leningrad region, and Simferopol on July 24.
More recent strikes have targeted the Ryazan and Vladimir regions. In Vladimir, a fire broke out at a distribution center covering roughly 100.000 square meters—an area comparable to fourteen football fields. Regional officials reported three injuries, including a resident wounded in the legs. In Ryazan, a logistics center was hit in what is reported to be at least the 10th attack on Wildberries facilities. This strike coincided with a hit on the Rosneft-owned Ryazan refinery, which accounts for nearly 5 percent of Russia’s total oil refining capacity.
The precision of these strikes suggests a specific intelligence-led objective. While some warehouses were missed—such as a Wildberries site in Koledino that remained intact while a nearby 3PL warehouse burned—the overall pattern indicates a move to target the “wallet” of the Russian state by hitting the commercial infrastructure that sustains the middle class.
The Military Connection and Retaliatory Logic
Kyiv has framed these attacks as both a strategic necessity and a direct retaliation.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia must feel that every day of this war will only come at a higher cost for it.
Beyond retaliation, Zelenskyy alleges that Wildberries is involved in delivering military goods to the Russian army. Specifically, he claims the warehouses were used to supply components for drone production and navigation equipment that are under international sanctions, as well as first-aid kits and bulletproof vests.
This creates a significant legal and financial vulnerability for the company. Interestingly, Wildberries appeared to anticipate these risks; just two days before the first drone attack, the company updated its terms and conditions to state it cannot be held liable for damages caused by military attacks or drones.
The broader economic impact on Russia is compounding. With the loss of payment systems like SWIFT, Visa, and Mastercard, and a reported rise in loss-making companies to nearly 30 percent in 2025, the disruption of the country’s largest e-commerce platform adds another layer of instability to the domestic business environment.
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