A Wildberries logistics centre in Kotovsk, Russia’s Tambov region, has completely burned down after being struck by drones, according to the regional governor.
He said 19 drones attempted to attack the warehouse overnight. Most were intercepted by air defence systems and mobile fire groups, but three drones hit the building. Two Wildberries employees were injured.
According to publicly available data, the Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk covered 108,000 square metres and was among the marketplace’s ten largest distribution centres.
The facility had previously been attacked on July 18.
Over the past month and a half, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have reportedly struck 23 Wildberries warehouses across 16 Russian regions. Ukraine’s Defence Ministry previously said that seven of the company’s ten largest logistics centres had been completely disabled, including its largest facility in Koledino near Moscow, which covers 250,000 square metres.
Analysts at Data Insight estimated that Wildberries’ direct losses from destroyed infrastructure had reached between RUB 147 billion and RUB 223 billion by mid-August. Sellers using the marketplace were estimated to have lost goods worth another RUB 445–507 billion. Total losses could therefore reach RUB 800 billion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Ukrainian drone attacks have caused no “critical consequences” for Russia. At the same time, he signed a decree allowing businesses and facilities to be placed under temporary state management if their owners fail to ensure adequate protection against drone strikes.
