Ukraine strikes Wildberries, killing seven, hitting Russian logistics
Ukrainian drone attacks on Wildberries have killed seven workers and disrupted key logistics hubs, signaling an expansion of the war into Russia's consumer supply chain.
Ukrainian drone strikes overnight targeted Russia’s commercial supply chain, killing seven employees at Wildberries, the country’s largest online marketplace, and injuring dozens more at two major logistics hubs.
The attacks hit Wildberries facilities in Kotovsk in the Tambov region and Elektrostal near Moscow. Tambov governor Yevgeny Pervyshov confirmed the seven night-shift workers killed in Kotovsk, while Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov reported 26 injured across his region, including 24 at the Elektrostal warehouse. Fires broke out at both sites, though Wildberries stated the Tambov blaze was contained while emergency crews continued work at Elektrostal.
This strike marks a significant escalation in Kyiv’s deep-strike campaign. Previous large-scale attacks primarily targeted Russian energy infrastructure, such as last month's raid on the Moscow Oil Refinery. Hitting the central distribution network of Russia’s dominant e-commerce player demonstrates a deliberate shift toward disrupting the logistics backbone of the domestic consumer economy.
The scale of the overnight barrage was substantial for the capital region. More than 370 drones were launched toward the Moscow area, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. "Most were neutralised by air defence forces at distant approaches," he wrote, noting 64 were destroyed as they closed on the city.
The volume of drones forced flight restrictions at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, adding immediate friction to air travel and cargo. Beyond the Wildberries sites, falling drones sparked a fire at an oil depot in Noginsk, prompting the precautionary evacuation of a nearby maternity hospital. In a separate incident in Vladimir, regional governor Alexander Avdeev said a drone struck an apartment flat, starting a fire with no initial casualties reported.
For market participants, the attacks underline the expanding vulnerability of Russian commercial infrastructure. While energy facilities have long been priced into risk models for businesses operating in the country, the deliberate targeting of civilian e-commerce logistics introduces new operational risks for the retail and distribution sectors.
