Ukraine Delivers Crippling Blows to Russian Online Retailer's Logistics

Ukraine's Ministry of Defence recently announced that its forces had successfully struck Wildberries' single largest warehouse, a sprawling 250,000-square-metre complex located at the Koledino industrial park in Podolsk, Moscow region, approximately 420 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. This strike, which sparked a fire and forced Wildberries to reroute its supply chains, occurred on the same night that Ukrainian forces also hit a second depot in nearby Domodedovo.

This latest attack forms part of an ongoing campaign by Kyiv against Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. Since the campaign began in July, seven of Wildberries' logistics hubs have been struck and rendered inoperable. The Ukrainian government justifies these strikes by asserting that Wildberries assists the Russian military by supplying drone components and navigation equipment alongside its consumer goods.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has weighed in on the campaign, concluding that it is effectively squeezing Russia's economy while simultaneously exposing a critical vulnerability. According to the ISW, "Moscow simply does not have enough air-defence coverage to shield every piece of infrastructure in its rear, even ten of its most valuable commercial sites." The campaign initially commenced around July 18, with drone attacks on sites in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and the Tambov region. It has since expanded significantly, with strikes reported from the capital and St. Petersburg to southern Russia and as far as Yekaterinburg in the Urals, over 2,000 km from Ukrainian territory. The Associated Press indicates that roughly 20 Wildberries facilities have now been hit.

The economic ramifications for Russia are substantial. Wildberries is frequently likened to Amazon due to its immense scale and importance to the Russian economy. The company reports an annual turnover between €70–75 billion, a figure that various estimates place at just over 2% of Russia’s GDP. The marketplace handles roughly half of the country's online orders and serves several hundred thousand sellers across eleven time zones, a role that expanded even further following the exit of Western brands from the Russian market after the full-scale invasion.

Consequently, the fallout from these strikes extends well beyond Wildberries itself. Ukrainian officials have stated that the primary goals are to disrupt military supply lines, incite domestic frustration within Russia, and trigger a broader financial squeeze. This pressure is also aimed at major banks such as VTB and Sberbank, which have extended approximately €13 billion in loans to a company now struggling to maintain its services in the face of persistent attacks.