Ukrainian drones attacked two Wildberries logistics centers — in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in Stavropol Krai — causing fires, the marketplace's founder Tatyana Kim said. Evacuations were carried out at both warehouses, but some employees were injured.
Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said five people were injured in Nevinnomyssk; they received medical attention at the scene and were not hospitalized. The Krasnodar Krai operational headquarters reported three injured in Krasnodar, who were taken to hospitals. The total number of wounded is eight.
A helicopter will be used to extinguish the fire at the Krasnodar warehouse, the operational headquarters said.
In addition to the attack on the Wildberries warehouses, drones hit an oil depot in Armavir (Krasnodar Krai) overnight. The city administration said the fire at the depot covered an area of 800 square meters, with more than 40 emergency workers at the scene. No casualties were reported. In Krasnodar and the stanitsa of Dinskaya, fragments of downed drones damaged two apartment buildings and private homes; no one was hurt.
This is the second attack on Wildberries warehouses in a week. On July 18, Ukrainian drones struck the company's logistics centers in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast, and Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast. In Kotovsk, seven people were killed and 24 wounded; in Elektrostal, one employee was killed and more than 50 wounded. In total, that attack killed eight people and injured about 80.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes on Wildberries warehouses targeted components for drone and navigation equipment stored there, calling the attack a response to Russian strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Forbes previously noted that on July 7, Wildberries updated its terms of service, disclaiming responsibility for loss of goods due to drone, missile, and other munition attacks. The July 18 attack, according to Data Insight lead analyst Sergei Semko, knocked out about 9% of the marketplace's total logistics capacity. Fires destroyed goods worth between 150 and 230 billion rubles, Semko wrote. Founder Kim said the company is exploring compensation for sellers, but Forbes reported that the amount needed would be comparable to the marketplace's entire annual profit.