A CEO at the center of a logistics war
Tatiana Kim, the founder and leader of Russia's leading online retailer Wildberries, gave a video statement on July 31 addressing recent Ukrainian drone strikes on her company's facilities. This followed a series of attacks in late July against the company's logistics hubs. Strikes were reported at over a dozen warehouses, with recent incidents in Volgograd and Tatarstan. Kim spoke directly to sellers and consumers through her Telegram channel, detailing the steps taken by Wildberries and explaining why the company would not financially compensate users for attack-related losses.
Kim labeled the strikes as 'terrorist attacks' in line with official Russian narratives. 'For nearly two weeks now, our company's warehouses have been under terrorist attack. Why our warehouses, of all places?' she questioned. She argued the attacks targeted not only Wildberries but 'hundreds of millions of people in 10 countries at once.' Kim stated that entrepreneurs in Russia and partner nations like China and Kazakhstan 'had suffered losses amounting to billions.'
Legal and political defenses of Wildberries
Kim claimed the attacks constituted 'force majeure,' referring to unavoidable events. 'Whether or not this clause is included in the terms of service is irrelevant; therefore, these losses are not subject to compensation under the law,' she stated. Kim encouraged sellers to look to the Russian government for 'a comprehensive package of support measures.' She added that Wildberries had offered more discounts and deferred payments to help sellers affected by the attacks.
Despite the significant economic impact, Kim said Wildberries was still taking steps to protect its facilities, products, and personnel. She claimed the company was 'successfully repelling most of the attacks' and said that the damage came from the 'intensity of Ukrainian firepower.' She mentioned an attack on the Yekaterinburg warehouse with 'more than 200' drones, highlighting the scale of the assault. Over 2,000 people work on fire safety at all of Wildberries' warehouses every day, and the Fire Safety Service is led by a colonel of the internal service, a former Emergency Situations Ministry officer with more than 26 years of experience in firefighting. Wildberries has already made two tranches of support payments to sellers whose goods were damaged in the attacks, with the second tranche covering nearly 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses.
Kyiv's stated aims versus Moscow's denial
Ukraine has said the attacks are meant to disrupt Russian military logistics. Officials argue that Wildberries offers dual-use items, like bulletproof vests and fiber-optic cables used for drones, which could be used in combat. Kim denied this, stating Wildberries is 'not a military operation' and accused Ukraine of hiding its true motives by claiming the company sells military goods. She advised people to 'visit any global marketplace — Amazon or Alibaba — and see for yourself whether we have anything they don't.'
Although Wildberries' warehouses are civilian, supplying items to the Russian military could make them legitimate targets under international law. The effective use of such facilities to support military action can justify attacks, according to legal standards. In reaction to the drone strikes, Wildberries started hiding certain goods from search results related to the war in Ukraine.
A fire broke out at a Wildberries warehouse in Russia's Samara region on Sunday following an attack, the company's press service has said. In a post on Telegram, the Russian online retailer said there were currently no reported casualties and that 'logistics chains have been reorganised.' 'The receipt of deliveries and dispatch of orders are now being handled at other facilities,' it added. Video footage circulating on social media appears to show a large blaze at the warehouse, with flames engulfing the building and huge plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky. In July, Ukrainian forces targeted multiple Wildberries logistics facilities across Russia as part of Kyiv's 'long-range sanctions' against Moscow, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying the warehouses were involved in supplying drone parts and navigation equipment for the Russian military. Wildberries was founded in 2004 by Russian billionaire Tatyana Kim and has gone on to become the country's largest online marketplace. Products offered on its website now include items such as knives, helmets, camouflage, and night-vision devices. The company's banking arm was sanctioned by the EU in July over its financial contribution to Russia's state budget. A fire also broke out at a Wildberries warehouse in the Vladimir region on Monday following a Ukrainian drone attack, the company reported. Regional governor Alexander Avdeyev said a young man had received a non-life-threatening head wound in the attack and was being taken to hospital, while a woman nearby had suffered minor injuries to one of her legs. Since mid-July, Ukraine has struck around 20 sites belonging to Wildberries across various parts of Russia and in annexed Crimea. The initial attacks on the night of July 17-18 left eight people dead and nearly 90 wounded at sites in the Moscow and Tambov regions.
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