Ukrainian long-range sanctions, which for a long time were focused mainly on the oil refining industry, have in recent weeks begun to hit new targets – the logistics centers of Russia's largest marketplace, Wildberries. In addition to the obvious impact on the company itself and its sellers, this strategy could have more significant consequences for the Russian economy, writes UNN.
Of the 20 large logistics hubs, 10 Wildberries warehouses with a total area of over 960,000 square meters have already been destroyed. According to Russian sources, this is more than 15% of all warehouse space.
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The biggest loss is the hub in Elektrostal near Moscow, covering 250,000 square meters. Also, according to preliminary data, the warehouse in Ryazan – with an area of 170,000 square meters – was completely burned out. After drone attacks, four more warehouses with areas ranging from 100,000 to 108,000 square meters burned down: in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast; in Krasnodar; in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai; and in the Shushary district of St. Petersburg. Fires also affected relatively small warehouses in St. Petersburg's Utkina Zavod district (16,900 sq m) and in annexed Simferopol (6,000 sq m). Today, July 30, it became known about the destruction of a warehouse in Penza (commissioned area of 90,000 sq m) and in the city of Sarapul in Udmurtia (area being clarified). There were also less successful attacks, some of which caused minor damage.
What is Wildberries and its significance for the Russian economy
Last year, Wildberries' turnover reached 6.1 trillion rubles. The company's share of the Russian e-commerce market is 47%. According to analysts, the amount of money passing through the marketplace is equivalent to 2% of Russia's GDP.
Wildberries has an extensive delivery network, including 25 large hubs in various regions of the country and smaller facilities, totaling over 200. The largest facilities could have employed up to 15,000 workers.
At the beginning of July, the RWB group, which includes the marketplace, announced the expansion of opportunities for Russian manufacturers to enter foreign markets. And in May, the company launched a pilot project to supply Russian goods to China. The business was planning active scaling. But now the stable operation of the company is under threat.
In addition to the destroyed or damaged Wildberries facilities themselves, goods worth billions of dollars belonging to Russians trading through the platform were destroyed. These sellers were faced with the fact that they should not expect compensation for the lost goods.
"The failure of insurance coverage against war risks in the Russian Federation was already evident due to the lack of payments for destroyed oil refineries, but the situation with Wildberries has made this problem public, as hundreds of entrepreneurs lost their goods," economist and former member of the NBU Council Vitaliy Shapran explained in a comment to UNN.
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For many Russians, Wildberries has become not just an opportunity to earn extra money – trading through the platform is the main form of income for some. And then there are the warehouse workers who lost their jobs – their number may already exceed tens of thousands.
The company itself stated that it would need at least 30 days to assess the damage and has already asked for support from the state.
The key to the banking system of the Russian Federation?
It is expected that if the state does provide support to Wildberries, it will be in the form of loans and credits. The state bank VTB may play a major role in this. This bank is already actively cooperating with the marketplace.
According to Denys Shtilerman – chief designer and co-owner of the Ukrainian long-range weapons manufacturer Fire Point, strikes on Wildberries and its closest competitor, the Ozon marketplace, could shake the financial system of the Russian Federation.
"Now we need to finish off Wildberries and Ozon, it is mandatory. This will cause the collapse of the banking system – they are among the main borrowers," he explained.
According to Shtilerman, Wildberries is one of the largest corporate borrowers in Russia, and the Russian state bank VTB has bet on the development of this marketplace.
"VTB was already not doing well, and now trillions of rubles in loans will be irretrievably lost. And this could bring down the second largest bank in Russia. And this needs to continue," believes the chief designer of Fire Point.
Economist Vitaliy Shapran confirms that the bank and the marketplace are closely cooperating.
"VTB planned to close the hole in its balance sheet through Wildberries, while Wildberries used the services of insurers that were under VTB's control. The attack on Wildberries disrupted VTB's current plans, that is an established fact," he says.
The institution's financial indicators had been deteriorating even before the attacks began and continue to fall. The bank has already reported a deterioration in results: net profit for the first half of the year was almost 20% lower than forecast, and expectations for the second half of the year were also revised significantly downward. In addition, the bank has already begun restricting depositors' access to money. According to Shapran, this is a forced measure, but it could be long-term.
According to the economist, VTB could receive liquidity from the Russian Central Bank, but it is in no hurry to do anything because it is expensive.
Marketplaces and sellers were already in a rather disadvantageous position due to the rise in logistics costs after the attacks on refineries. And now their trading platform turnover has fallen, according to various estimates, by at least 10%. Thousands of Russians have found themselves without work, the funds of many small entrepreneurs are frozen, goods are either destroyed or there are problems with their delivery.
Analysts' estimates of the scale of the consequences of attacks on the warehouse infrastructure of marketplaces vary. Whether this will in itself cause a large-scale collapse of the banking system is unlikely. But some destabilization should be expected, if only because the financial sector will have to face a wave of non-performing loans. Plus, an additional socio-economic effect is being created from the losses suffered by ordinary Russians.
The Russian economy, under the influence of sanctions, has already suffered a significant blow from damage to oil refining facilities. The deficit in domestic fuel consumption reaches 35%. Now the financial sector is also shaking.
"The Kremlin has no tools for stabilization other than agreements with Iran and the Houthis to destabilize the Middle East to raise oil prices. The current economic crisis in the Russian Federation has gone very far and, as the first half of 2026 shows, this crisis can be treated with high prices for Russian oil, but over a fairly long period of time - from 6 months. The Kremlin is unlikely to succeed in this," believes Vitaliy Shapran.