A warehouse belonging to prominent Russian online retailer Wildberries caught fire in the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg following a Ukrainian drone strike, according to Governor Alexander Drozdenko, who announced the attack on Friday.
Three people sustained injuries in the strike, the governor said. Wildberries confirmed that operations at two of its logistics facilities in the region had been suspended. The company also reported that employees at its warehouse in Crimea had been evacuated as a precaution.
Video footage captured at the scene by Reuters showed two massive columns of black smoke rising into the sky above the affected area. This latest attack is part of a broader pattern — five Wildberries warehouses have now been targeted since July 18, representing roughly 10% of the company’s total logistics capacity.
Wildberries stated that none of its employees were harmed in the most recent strike. However, eight people lost their lives in the July 18 attacks, which targeted logistics hubs in the cities of Kotovsk and Elektrostal.
Ukraine has argued that Wildberries functions as part of the infrastructure supporting the Russian military effort. Russia has pushed back against that claim, insisting the company — which sits at the heart of the country’s consumer economy — does not handle any military-related supplies.
Wildberries, along with its top competitor Ozon and smaller rivals, collectively sells goods and services valued at roughly 8.5% of Russia’s gross domestic product. Together, these companies employ approximately 4 million people, representing more than 5% of Russia’s total workforce.
