Ukraine began a series of drone attacks on July 18 targeting warehouses and logistics centers of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, across several regions including Moscow, Tambov, Krasnodar, and near St. Petersburg [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

Locations hit include Elektrostal in Moscow region, Kotovsk in Tambov, Krasnodar, Nevinnomyssk, Podolsk, the Domodedovo area, and several sites near St. Petersburg such as Novosaratovka, Shushary, and Utkina Zavod [1, 2, 3, 9, 5, 7, 8].

At least nine people have been killed in the attacks: seven in Kotovsk, one in Elektrostal, and one in Krasnodar, along with multiple injuries reported [1, 2, 3, 9, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The initial July 18 strikes alone killed eight people and sparked major fires [1, 2, 4, 7].

The assaults caused large fires that destroyed substantial inventory held in these warehouses, including goods belonging to many small and medium-sized businesses reliant on Wildberries’ platform. One small business owner said, "How can you run a business when all your company's assets just go up in flames?" [1, 4, 6, 10].

Estimates place the value of destroyed goods at roughly 170 billion roubles (about $2.2 billion) [4, 10]. Wildberries employs about 48,000 people and, along with a rival company Ozon, accounts for approximately 8.5% of Russia’s GDP in retail sales [3, 6].

Wildberries temporarily suspended operations at its logistics centers in St. Petersburg and surrounding Leningrad region due to damage and ongoing security concerns [3, 9, 8]. Leningrad Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko reported a drone strike caused a fire at the Novosaratovka warehouse injuring three people [8]. St. Petersburg Mayor Aleksandr Beglov said air defense systems were activated after a drone attack damaged civilian infrastructure near Moskovskoye Highway [8].

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes are justified as the Wildberries hubs supply components used in Russian drone production and military equipment, declaring, "We are, quite justly, bringing the war back home - to Russia" [1, 6, 11, 7]. The Kremlin and Russian authorities deny any military goods are stored at Wildberries facilities and describe the attacks as unjustified [2, 3, 7]. Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed to have shot down hundreds of drones during the attacks, including 571 in a single night over several regions and Crimea [9, 8].

The drone strikes mark a strategic shift from Ukraine’s previous focus on oil and fuel infrastructure to targeting Russia’s logistics and supply chains [1, 4, 6, 10]. Many independent merchants reported devastating financial losses and business closures due to destroyed stock [1, 4, 6].

Following attacks on July 24 in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Wildberries halted operations at two logistics centers there [3, 9, 11, 8]. The attacks remain ongoing, with at least nine warehouses hit since July 18.