Some Russian publishers have halted printing new books and begun reducing print runs after Ukrainian drone attacks on Wildberries warehouses, Kommersant reported, citing industry representatives.
According to Boris Kuznetsov, general director of Rosman, Wildberries is the country's largest book platform, accounting for about 30% of industry sales. He confirmed that print runs are being reduced: "The print runs we planned to sell and cover costs have burned. Therefore, publishing houses are indeed reducing the number of new titles and projects that were supposed to come out." Kuznetsov noted that Rosman could return to its previous pace of releases in the first quarter of 2027 if the attacks stop.
Eksmo-AST said it sees a "slight decline" in its August release plan compared with August last year. The publisher plans to adjust its plans based on demand and the capacity of "product distribution channels," particularly Wildberries. Alpina said it is not halting reprints or new releases but is "carefully assessing the size of necessary print runs," more often choosing a small reprint volume "to optimize warehouse storage."
A Kommersant source at one company explained that storing products at marketplace warehouses is "now dangerous," but "not all publishers have facilities to store all their print runs." Another newspaper source believes the attacks affected at least 20 logistics facilities, and a quick recovery of operations should not be expected. In his view, publishers may have to consider spending on building their own logistics parks, but in the current situation this is unlikely due to the scale of the damage.
In early August, Kommersant reported that Russian book publishers were suspending sales on Wildberries. The marketplace then said it "does not record publishers leaving the platform." The Russian Book Union, the Association of Russian Book Publishers, and the Association of Book Distributors calculated that more than 11 million books burned in Wildberries warehouses attacked by Ukraine — mostly fiction, children's, and popular science literature.