Ukrainian forces strike Wildberries hubs in St. Petersburg and Leningrad Region

The Ukrainian strike on Russian territory in the night of 24 July was one of the most large-scale attacks of the year. Massive fires broke out in Wildberries’ logistics complexes in Shushary (St. Petersburg) and the Utkina Zavod industrial zone in Vsevolozhsk District (Leningrad Region), forcing both facilities to halt operations.

In his comments, President Volodymyr Zelensky focused on another target—the Avitek plant in Kirov, which he stated "supplies components for the occupiers’ aviation and missile systems, used in mass strikes against our cities and towns." He added that "there were other hits as well." Zelensky emphasised the importance of operations aimed at disrupting Russian logistics, which supply the occupying army with drone components, navigation equipment, and other military gear. His post was accompanied by footage of burning warehouses in Vsevolozhsk District.

Z-bloggers have confirmed that Wildberries has been used to "clothe and equip" participants in Russia’s so-called "special military operation". For example, Alex Parker Returns wrote after the strikes on warehouses in Elektrostal and Kotovsk that "Wildberries sells a huge number of dual-use and military goods." He concluded: "Volunteers often buy essential supplies for combat operations there. So these strikes will also seriously disrupt frontline supplies and volunteer efforts." 

In July alone, Ukrainian drones targeted at least nine Wildberries facilities. On the night of 18 July, Ukrainian UAVs struck warehouses in Elektrostal (Moscow Region) and Kotovsk (Tambov Region). On 20 July, a warehouse in Koledino (Moscow Region) was hit. A fire also broke out in the Yuzhnye Vorota industrial park in Domodedovo—a logistics complex reportedly controlled by Sergei Roldugin, a close associate of Putin. Wildberries also operates a warehouse there. On 22 July, drones struck facilities in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk (Stavropol Territory). Additionally, a Russian Post distribution centre in Voronezh Region—reportedly built to handle AliExpress orders—was hit.

The attacks against the warehouses in St.Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast is likely to felt across Northwest Russia as these warehouses have served clients in the region.

Vladislav Seleznev, a military expert and former spokesperson for the Ukrainian General Staff, describes Ukraine’s actions as a mirror response to Russian strikes. However, he argues that this is not the only justification for such attacks. "On the one hand, the Russian occupying army has struck Nova Poshta terminals—the largest private company ensuring cargo transport across Ukraine and abroad. Ukrainian Post facilities have also been targeted. These were purely civilian objects. On the other hand, we see that Wildberries is being used as a transport hub for quasi-military supplies. Thirdly, the Ukrainian army is demonstrating to Russians that the war is not just something they see on TV—it’s happening right around the corner. This could lay the groundwork for mass discontent within Russian society over the processes unfolding in the country," Seleznev explains.

The first to feel the impact of this strategy appear to be Wildberries’ sellers. Shortly before the first attacks on its warehouses, the company updated its contract with vendors, adding a clause stating that it would not compensate sellers for goods damaged in drone strikes. The new terms took effect on 7 July. On 18 July, Tatiana Kim, head of Wildberries, reminded sellers that the company was not obligated to reimburse lost inventory. Amid widespread outrage on social media, some compensation was eventually paid—but sellers describe the amounts as laughably low. One entrepreneur reported that the value of his company’s burned goods in Wildberries’ warehouses exceeded 460 million roubles (€5.2 million), yet he received just 10,687 roubles (£98) in compensation.

The total value of goods destroyed in these attacks is estimated in the hundreds of billions of roubles. According to Kommersant, the strikes affected at least 10% of Wildberries’ logistics capacity, totalling 552,000 square metres. Most of these facilities are now out of operation. Constructing new warehouses of a similar scale would cost an estimated 35.5 billion roubles (€396 million).

Military blogger Ivan Yakovina compares the impact of strikes on Wildberries’ sorting centres to those on Russia’s oil industry—which he calls the "backbone of the Russian economy". In his view, Wildberries’ warehouses are equally critical, as they form the logistical backbone of Russia’s small and medium-sized businesses.

"Cafés order coffee and mugs there, auto repair shops order parts and consumables, beauty salons order nail polish, scissors, and shampoos," Yakovina lists. *"For tens of millions of Russians—sellers and buyers of all kinds—Wildberries is their workplace, their main (and often only) source of income. Observers often underestimate this factor. What impact can a hairdresser or a laundry have on Russia’s GDP or Putin’s ability to wage war? In reality, it was small and medium-sized businesses—not Putin, not Nabiullina, not even high oil prices—that saved Russia’s economy in 2022 when it was on the brink of collapse. These entrepreneurs quickly found ways to bypass sanctions and flood the market with essential goods. They provided jobs for tens of millions and paid *trillions in taxes."

According to Yakovina, Wildberries’ warehouses have become the "heart of the Russian economy", and the Ukrainian Armed Forces have struck directly at this heart. He believes that, in the long term, these strikes will be far more painful than those on oil refineries: "Those who filled restaurants and casually claimed that ‘the war has only made us richer’ may soon find themselves unable to feed their children."

Military experts do not rule out the possibility that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine could evolve into a "war of the cities"—a term used to describe mutual strikes on urban areas during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s. However, Seleznev believes Ukraine would hold the advantage in such a scenario.

"This is a possibility. But if Ukrainian society can endure the challenges of an unstable energy infrastructure and damaged facilities, then Russians may face an unpleasant surprise this winter—especially since the climate in even the European part of Russia is far harsher than in Kyiv, Mykolaiv, or Odesa. Therefore, it is highly likely that these Ukrainian strikes will continue," the military expert concludes.