Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries warehouses again, officials say
Ukrainian drones struck Wildberries logistics hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk overnight, injuring 15 people, the company's founder and Russian governors said. It is the second attack on Russia's largest online retailer in four days, after Saturday strikes that killed eight. Kyiv says the sites supplied drone parts and gear to Russia's army.
Key Takeaways
- Overnight Ukrainian drone strikes hit Wildberries warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, injuring 15 people, according to founder Tatyana Kim and regional governors.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said the hubs were involved in supplying the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear.
- Saturday attacks on Wildberries sites in Elektrostal and Kotovsk killed eight people; Kommersant estimated at least 7% of logistics capacity was lost.
- A Ukrainian security analyst said the aim is to disrupt dual-use goods for Russia's military, with knock-on pressure on the retail economy.
What happened at the Wildberries warehouses overnight?
Ukrainian drones hit logistics centres run by Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, in two south-west cities overnight. Founder Tatyana Kim confirmed attacks on hubs in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region and said workers were evacuated.
Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said five people were hurt at a warehouse complex near Nevinnomyssk and received outpatient treatment. Krasnodar Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said ten people were injured there, with three in serious condition.
Footage verified by BBC Verify showed fires at both sites, including a huge column of black smoke over Krasnodar. Kondratyev also reported a "massive attack," with drone debris killing one employee in Armavir and striking an oil depot that caught fire.
Why is Ukraine targeting Wildberries?
Zelensky said Wednesday that Ukraine had hit logistics hubs in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions "involved in providing the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear." That framing casts the retailer as more than a consumer marketplace.
Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, has told the BBC that Wildberries' website had been used by Russian volunteers to buy military equipment. He said the primary goal is to disrupt logistics for dual-use goods, critical electronics and sanctioned items headed to the Russian army and arms makers.
Kuzan added that collateral damage could hit Russia's economy and weigh on public support for the war. For more coverage of long-range drones and wartime supply chains, see BlasterPost's Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
How do the latest strikes compare with Saturday's attacks?
The overnight hits mark the second targeting of Wildberries facilities in less than a week. On Saturday, drones struck warehouses in Elektrostal near Moscow and in Kotovsk in the Tambov region, about 480 kilometers southeast of the capital, according to reporting from the BBC, The Washington Post and Bloomberg.
Those earlier strikes killed eight people. The Washington Post reported more than 80 injured and facilities that appeared almost entirely destroyed, with fires visible in satellite imagery. Russian business daily Kommersant estimated at least 7 percent of Wildberries' logistics capacity was wiped out that weekend alone.
Bloomberg reported the warehouse attacks have jolted Russia's retail sector, forcing firms to rethink logistics and stoking fears of higher inflation. Wildberries is widely described as Russia's answer to Amazon and its largest e-commerce platform.
What else did Ukraine claim in the same wave of strikes?
Zelensky also said Ukraine struck an oil depot, plus a tanker and four cargo ships linked to Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea. Moscow has used that fleet to move oil under international sanctions imposed after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Together, the Wildberries warehouse campaign and energy-linked hits show Kyiv pushing deeper into Russia's logistics and economic infrastructure with long-range drones—raising the stakes for both military supply lines and everyday commerce.