Wildberries Faces 100 Billion-Ruble Losses, Seen Unprofitable for Years After Drone Strikes
Updated
Updated · Meduza · Aug 6
Wildberries Faces 100 Billion-Ruble Losses, Seen Unprofitable for Years After Drone Strikes
3 articles · Updated · Meduza · Aug 6
Summary
Direct losses from Ukrainian drone strikes on Wildberries warehouses may exceed 100 billion rubles and could reach 200 billion, The Bell reported, leaving Russia’s biggest online retailer unprofitable for years.
A turnover drop of at least 25% could break the marketplace’s cash-flow model, in which buyer payments fund working capital before sellers are paid, raising the risk of deeper losses and delayed payouts.
215 billion to 280 billion rubles in seller damage had already been estimated by early August from the warehouse strikes alone, with further attacks since expected to push merchants toward rival platforms.
More than 1.3 trillion rubles in debt by end-2025 leaves Wildberries likely needing fresh borrowing, even as Russia’s budget deficit hit 5.7 trillion rubles in the first half of 2026.
Russian authorities are not expected to let Wildberries fail, and officials have discussed support ranging from seller tax or credit holidays to preferential loans for the company, possibly via VTB.