On a Friday, Ukrainian forces employed a Liutyi loitering drone to attack Wildberries’ logistics centre in Yekaterinburg. The facility, covering about 158,000 square metres and located roughly 1,700 kilometres from the front line, was set alight. The fire threatened the entire complex before it was brought under control.

The strike follows a series of earlier attacks that have damaged a large portion of Wildberries’ warehouse network across Russia. By 5 August, Ukrainian drones had struck 21 Wildberries locations, destroying several and rendering between 1.2 and 1.5 million square metres – about 17‑22 % – unusable, according to Deutsche Welle. The analytics site Verstka puts the unusable area closer to 27 % of total space, and the attacks have eliminated roughly ten percent of the goods stored in the warehouses.

Sellers claim they have lost merchandise valued between €2.3 billion and €3 billion in the days after the attacks, while compensation from Wildberries has been minimal. The company reported a profit of €2.1 billion for 2025, but its turnover has fallen by about a quarter since the drone campaign began. The Russian outlet The Bell warned that a continued drop in turnover could create a cash shortfall for the company. Analysts cited by The Bell estimate direct damage at over 100 billion roubles (around €1 billion) and up to 200 billion roubles (€2.1 billion) in a worst‑case scenario, encompassing destroyed warehouses, lost inventory and logistics disruption. Wildberries’ annual turnover stands at 6.1 trillion roubles (approximately €64 billion). Sources say the Russian government may consider a preferential loan if the retailer’s solvency is at risk.

Russia’s deficit for the first half of 2026 was 1.5 times the amount originally budgeted for the entire year. A rescue package of 200 billion roubles would increase GDP by about 0.1 %; a larger infusion needed to cover 1.3 trillion roubles of debt could raise the deficit substantially. Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, described the campaign as an effort to cause a financial collapse of the marketplace. Opposition politician Andrei Pivovarov said the fall in marketplace turnover is already a key driver of the slowdown in domestic consumption.

The Yekaterinburg strike demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to conduct long‑range drone attacks deep inside Russian territory. Liutyi drones, originally built for reconnaissance, have been adapted as loitering munitions for precise strikes on high‑value targets. Ukrainian officials state the objective is to weaken the economic base that supports Russia’s war effort. Russian officials have responded by strengthening air‑defence around major logistics hubs and speeding up the rollout of the Euro‑2 vehicle emissions standard, which was accelerated after a series of Ukrainian attacks on fuel depots.

For Russian consumers, the disruption of Wildberries means fewer product options, longer delivery times and higher prices. Some sellers are moving to rival platforms such as Ozon, which have not been directly attacked. Wildberries is reportedly looking for alternative storage capacity in Kazakhstan, a move that could shift jobs out of Russia. The Russian Federation of Trade Unions warned that relocating warehouses abroad could lead to job losses and bypass normal labour protections. European companies that source goods through Wildberries may need to adjust their supply chains, and EU regulators may have to consider how attacks on private firms that generate state revenue affect sanctions and export‑control policies.

Wildberries has not publicly disclosed detailed contingency plans for the attacks. Ukrainian authorities may consider further long‑range drone operations against other critical infrastructure such as energy substations, rail hubs or data centres. Russian defence officials are expected to tighten security measures and possibly expand electronic‑warfare capabilities to jam drone communications. The full extent of fire damage at the Yekaterinburg hub will become clearer in the coming weeks, as will the Russian state’s response.