Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 12
Ukrainian Drones Hit Wildberries Hub 2,087km Inside Russia as Kyiv Targets $79bn Retail Giant
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 12

Ukrainian Drones Hit Wildberries Hub 2,087km Inside Russia as Kyiv Targets $79bn Retail Giant

3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 12

Summary

  • A Wildberries warehouse in Yekaterinburg was struck by Ukrainian drones, sending smoke over the site and forcing temporary order limits in Russia’s fourth-largest city.
  • Governor Denis Pasler said all 800 employees were evacuated unharmed, while videos showed security guards firing at the incoming drones.
  • Kyiv has increasingly targeted Wildberries, saying the retailer sells military or dual-use goods; since mid-July, about two dozen strikes have fully or partly destroyed at least 12 warehouses, killing 13 workers.
  • Wildberries handled $79 billion of turnover in 2025—nearly 3% of Russia’s GDP and almost half its online retail—making its logistics network a high-visibility economic target.
  • Analysts say the attacks are more likely to disrupt deliveries, raise costs and pressure small merchants than materially weaken Russia’s military supply chain.

Insights

Could Ukraine's relentless drone strikes on a $79 billion retail giant ultimately collapse Russia's wartime consumer economy?
With new automated counter-drone systems deploying in 2026, can Russia protect its vital consumer lifelines from aerial destruction?
As millions of square meters of warehouses burn, will ordinary Russians turn against the war or rally behind the Kremlin?