„Eine weitere Illusion ist in Flammen aufgegangen: dass jemand Unternehmer beschützen würde“ Warum hat die Ukraine die Lagerhäuser von Wildberries angegriffen? Und warum entschädigt das Unternehmen die Verkäufer nicht?

**Translation:**

As a result of Ukraine’s strikes on Wildberries warehouses in the Moscow and Tambov regions, eight people have reportedly been killed and more than 50 injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes targeted logistics centers that allegedly stored components for drone production. At the same time, the fires destroyed thousands, and possibly tens of thousands, of goods belonging to small businesses that sell through Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace. According to preliminary and highly rough estimates, the damage could exceed 50 billion rubles. *Meduza* examined what is known about the affected warehouses and why the entrepreneurs who lost their goods are unlikely to receive compensation from Wildberries.

**Why did Ukraine strike Wildberries at all?**

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks were a response to Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. He was likely referring to attacks on facilities operated by Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s private postal and logistics company. The latest such strike occurred two days earlier. *Financial Times* journalist Christopher Miller, citing a senior Ukrainian official, also reported that the attacks on Wildberries were intended as retaliation for the strikes on Nova Poshta.

Zelenskyy also said the Wildberries warehouses stored components used for drone production and navigation equipment.

„…two major logistics facilities were struck in the Moscow and Tambov regions, located more than 500 km and about 700 km from the front line. They were being used by the aggressor to facilitate the supply of sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment. An oil facility was also struck,“ he said.

Social media users have pointed out that Wildberries does indeed sell military-related goods, including body armor, combat helmets, camouflage uniforms, and fiber-optic cable used for drones.

**What is known about the warehouses in Elektrostal and Kotovsk?**

The Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal is the company’s largest logistics center, covering more than 360,000 square meters. In October 2024, Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim gave an interview to *Vedomosti* there. She described it as the company’s most technologically advanced logistics center and said it was being used to test autonomous transport between warehouse blocks. According to *Agentstvo*, more than 8,000 people worked there as of November 2023.

The warehouse in Kotovsk opened relatively recently, at the end of May 2025, and plays an important role in regional logistics. The facility can store up to 54 million items. At the opening, Tatyana Kim said:

„The construction of the logistics center in the Tambov region will help optimize existing routes, significantly reduce transportation, storage, and delivery costs and times. In addition, the logistics center will help local entrepreneurs develop small and medium-sized businesses by providing storage, distribution, and shipping capabilities to other cities.“

**Why are sellers whose goods were destroyed unlikely to receive compensation?**

Tatyana Kim quickly commented on the attacks. She expressed condolences to the families of those killed and promised to provide them with „all necessary support.“ Wildberries also launched a dedicated online hotline for relatives of employees at the Kotovsk and Elektrostal warehouses.

However, Kim did not say whether the marketplace would compensate sellers whose goods were destroyed. She only stated that products stored at the affected warehouses had been temporarily removed from sale and promised to provide more information „in the near future.“

In early July, Wildberries amended its seller agreement to exempt the company from any liability in the event of drone attacks. The change took effect on July 7, just 11 days before the Ukrainian strikes on the warehouses.

On social media, entrepreneurs who sell through Wildberries have already begun expressing outrage over their financial losses. Many appear to be unaware that they are unlikely to receive compensation from the company.

„I don’t know why entrepreneurs have been given this ordeal… Millions, billions of rubles are burning there. And we don’t know whether Wildberries will compensate us at all,“ said Berdy Begmenov, founder of the men’s clothing brand TM Limited.

„Today, it wasn’t just merchandise that burned. Another illusion burned down too: the belief that someone would protect entrepreneurs. The rules are changing. The risks are being shifted onto us. The losses are becoming ours as well. It will only get worse. Something needs to change radically, and fast. Tell me what you think,“ wrote Natalia Plonke, founder of the cosmetics brand eskin touch.

„These images aren’t just boxes. They represent money, months of work, and sellers‘ plans. For many, these are losses worth millions of rubles, and there’s no guarantee they’ll be compensated,“ wrote Yulia Linkevich, a Wildberries seller and creator of the course *How to Start Earning as a Wildberries Manager in 3 Days?*

Oh no, anyway

Russia has a Putin problem that Russia should deal with. This happened because Putin is a failure to his people, as well as a failure to the rest of the world. They should put that energy into taking the chinless goblin down to the basement along with his hellspawn.

Oh hell, what a shame…

Slava Ukraini…🇺🇦

Russia going very fast back to the 1950’s

“She only stated that products stored at the warehouses are temporarily removed from sale”

Lol seems pretty permanently removed from sale to me…