FAFO: Despair As Russian Sellers Lose Everything In Wildberries Attacks

Ukraine's drone attacks on the huge e-commerce warehouse, Russia's version of Amazon, leave sellers completely uninsured.
By Ed Scarce — July 23, 2026

Ordinary Russians, largely removed from the war in Ukraine, have only recently begun to feel the effects of their collective acquiescence to Putin's war crimes. Along with Ukraine's attacks on Russia's oil refineries and its shipping in the Black Sea, we're now also seeing giant warehouses for consumer goods go up in smoke. And why is that? Because those same warehouses supply Russian forces with drones, equipment, and clothing, making them a prime military target for Ukrainian drones that now travel farther into Russian territory than ever before.

Source: Washington Post

The attack on Wildberries dealt a serious blow to the infrastructure of Russia’s version of Amazon, with at least 7 percent of its total logistics capacity wiped out during the weekend strikes alone, according to an estimate by Kommersant, the Russian business newspaper.

The Elektrostal warehouse was a key hub for Moscow and the surrounding region and one of Wildberries’ single largest logistics centers, spanning 250,000 square meters or about 61 acres. The Kotovsk warehouse, with 108,000 square meters or about 27 acres, served logistics for southern Russia.
...
The attacks wiped out the livelihoods of hundreds, if not thousands, of Russian entrepreneurs who relied on the Elektrostal facility for sales in the capital and the region.

And why were they wiped out? Because Wildberries, anticipating the possibility of drone attacks by Ukraine, changed their terms of service on July 7.

Less than two weeks ago, the company changed its seller policy to exempt itself from liability for goods damaged by “force majeure,” a category that now explicitly includes drone strikes and any damage from weapons or military equipment.

That may change again at some point, as political pressure mounts on the government and Wildberries to offer relief from horrific losses ahead of looming parliamentary elections in the fall. But for now, they're all S.O.L. At least one seller is reported to have committed suicide.

This one didn't get the memo: no insurance.

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