Ukraine struck warehouses operated by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, roughly a dozen times from mid-July through July 31, according to supplied reporting. Fires were reported at logistics facilities in Volgograd and Zelenodolsk in Tatarstan during the latest phase of the campaign, which extended across central and western Russia.
The first reported attacks occurred on July 18 at two facilities, one outside Moscow and one in Tambov region. Later targets ranged from Krasnodar in the south to Sarapul, more than 1,200 kilometres from the front. Russian officials said at least eight people were killed across the strikes.
Kyiv described the facilities as part of a logistics network supplying Russian forces with drone components, navigation equipment and other materiel. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the warehouses supported the military. Wildberries and the Kremlin rejected that characterisation, making the purpose of the sites a disputed element of the story.
Wildberries accounts for as much as a tenth of Russian retail turnover, according to Russian media, and processes more than 20 million transactions daily. Its pickup network reaches remote communities, while many small and medium-sized companies depend on the platform to sell goods. Disruption therefore affects merchants and consumers as well as the company itself.
The full financial loss was not established. Forbes Russia estimated that two strikes in southern Russia during the preceding week may have produced losses exceeding $1.5 billion. Other reports suggested that up to 10% of warehouse capacity had been lost. Wildberries had not published its own comprehensive estimate.
The company said it paid about $500,000 to families of employees killed and compensated some sellers. Other merchants said they remained exposed, including businesses that lost most of their inventory. Some reported contract clauses limiting compensation after drone attacks, adding a dispute over how wartime losses should be shared.
Wildberries chief executive Tatiana Kim said the company was redirecting goods and improving security. The Kremlin acknowledged that public assistance might be required but had not announced an aid decision. Ukraine's stated strategy was partly economic: a defence-industry executive said the strikes were intended to damage Russia's economy and increase financial pressure.
The July 31 fires fit that broader pattern, but specific damage at Volgograd and Zelenodolsk was not detailed in the supplied evidence. Confirmed reporting supported a sustained campaign against the retailer's logistics system, significant casualties and competing claims about military use, while exact total losses remained estimates.
The strikes also came while Russian businesses faced fuel shortages, tax increases and internet restrictions. Those pressures may amplify disruption to a platform with nationwide reach, but the evidence did not quantify their combined effect. The reported warehouse losses should therefore be separated from broader predictions about Russia’s economy.
