Russian authorities reported that Ukrainian drones struck warehouses operated by Wildberries, one of the country's largest e-commerce firms, for the second time in a week. The attacks occurred overnight on 22 July in the cities of Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, causing significant fires and disrupting logistics operations.
According to Russian officials and the company, fires broke out at warehouse sites in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim stated that employees had been evacuated in advance, but 15 people were injured—10 in Krasnodar and five in Nevinnomyssk. Several employees were taken to hospital, while others received treatment at the scene. Regional authorities declared a local state of emergency, describing the fires as extensive. Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations deployed helicopters to help extinguish the blaze.
Why Wildberries?
Kyiv has not officially commented on the reported attacks. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously defended strikes on facilities that Ukraine claims are used to support Russia's military, including warehouses alleged to store components for drone production and navigation equipment. Ukraine argues that such logistics centres form part of supply chains supporting Russia's war effort, a claim Russia rejects.
Wildberries is one of Russia's largest e-commerce companies. According to the company and Russian media, the reported strikes disrupted operations, with thousands of sellers losing stock, tens of thousands of orders cancelled, and delivery delays affecting customers. Euronews could not independently verify those figures.
According to Wildberries, employees were evacuated before the attacks. However, social media posts and messages in trade union chats alleged that some workers were not allowed to leave the premises in time. Those claims have not been independently verified. The company said it had set up a hotline for relatives and would compensate the families of those killed, while compensation for sellers whose goods were destroyed had yet to be resolved. Estimates circulating in Russian media that the losses could rival the company's annual profit have not been independently verified.
A series of strikes
The reported attack on 22 July was the latest in a series of strikes that Russian authorities say have targeted Wildberries infrastructure. Several days earlier, drones struck warehouses in Elektrostal and Kotovsk, killing eight people and injuring dozens. Authorities said one of the company's largest logistics hubs, covering more than 350,000 square metres, was put out of operation.
In Krasnodar, debris from intercepted drones damaged two apartment buildings and two private homes in the stanitsa of Dinskaya. In Armavir, officials said a drone struck an oil depot, triggering a fire that spread across about 800 square metres. One person was reportedly killed.
During the night of 22 July, Russia continued its strikes on Ukrainian territory, using ballistic missiles and a large swarm of attack drones. According to Ukrainian authorities, direct hits were recorded in Kryvyi Rih, where an industrial site was damaged. In Zaporizhzhia, workshops at an engineering plant were destroyed. In Mykolaiv, a strike hit shipbuilding facilities, while in Ternopil a fuel depot caught fire. In the Lviv region, a logistics hub was damaged. In the Poltava and Cherkasy regions, facilities linked to drone repairs and ammunition storage were also hit.
The escalation comes as the European Union continues to debate its approach to Russia sanctions. Greece has blocked the EU's 21st sanctions package over LNG imports, highlighting internal divisions. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan condemned drone strikes on Black Sea oil tankers, as the CPC terminal suspended operations, affecting energy flows to Europe.
