On the night of July 24, 2026, the city of Simferopol in Crimea, occupied by Russian forces, was the subject of a massive airstrike. The main target of the drone strikes was the key sorting center of the largest Russian marketplace - Wildberries. Information about the incident quickly spread on social networks, and a little later it was officially confirmed by the company's press service.
According to data from local sources and publications of the monitoring channel “Крымский ветер“ (t.me/krymskywind), the air alert on the peninsula was declared at around 23:35 on July 23, when the occupation authorities announced the activation of air defense systems. Despite the attempts of Russian mobile fire groups to repel the attack, several drones managed to overcome the defenses and hit the logistics hub.
After the direct hits, a large-scale fire broke out on the territory of the complex, accompanied by explosions resembling fireworks, as evidenced by dozens of eyewitness videos. The logistics center in Simferopol is the main base serving supplies for a large part of the Crimean peninsula. According to OSINT channels such as Exilenova+, the facility was seriously damaged. The press service of the merged company Wildberries and Russ issued an official statement in the early hours of the day, distributed by the Russian news agency “Fontanka“ (fontanka.ru), indicating that the night shift employees were urgently evacuated in accordance with safety protocols.
Air defense failure and damage to civilian infrastructure
According to independent military experts quoted by the Radio Liberty project „Krym.Realii“ (krymr.com), the attack has once again exposed critical gaps in the peninsula's air defenses. After the transfer of modern S-400 systems to protect the Belgorod and Kursk regions, Crimea has been left to rely primarily on mobile firing groups and older Pantsir-S1 complexes. However, they have proven ineffective against low-flying drones with a low thermal silhouette. As the Center for European Policy Analysis (cepa.org) notes, Russian air defenses were overwhelmed by false targets, which allowed the strike drones to reach Simferopol.
Fall debris from downed aircraft and detonations from the warehouse caused serious indirect damage. Local residents near the logistics center reported on their channels about broken windows, damaged roofs and downed power lines. Crimea's occupation Gauleiter Sergei Aksyonov announced on his Telegram channel that traffic on the streets adjacent to the warehouse was temporarily restricted due to the danger of unexploded ordnance, and over 400 households were left without electricity.
Black July for Wildberries: Timeline of the Air Campaign
The strike in Crimea is part of an unprecedented week-long offensive against economic infrastructure in the Russian rear:
- July 18, 2026 – The first massive strike simultaneously hits the logistics centers in Elektrostal (near Moscow) and Kotovsk (Tambov region). According to the media platform “Meduza“ (meduza.io), the attack led to the collapse of structures, serious fires and the death of eight night shift workers.
- July 20, 2026 – The hub in Koledino, located south of the Russian capital, was targeted, where material damage was caused to the sorting lines.
- July 22, 2026 – Drones attack logistics complexes in Krasnodar and Nevinnomysk (Stavropol Region). Large-scale fires break out, with the death of a young employee confirmed in Krasnodar and dozens injured.
- July 23, 2026 – An early morning attack hits a logistics center in Voronezh, expanding the geographic scope of the strikes.
- July 24, 2026 – The current strike in Simferopol marks the company's seventh site attacked. So far, nearly 8% of the company's total warehouse capacity, exceeding one million square meters, has been taken out of service.
International reactions and economic consequences
The attacks on the Russian equivalent of Amazon have caused a serious international response. The British media corporation BBC (bbc.com) notes that this strategy brings the cost of war directly home to ordinary Russian citizens and deals a heavy blow to small and medium-sized businesses, as over 85% of the economically active population in Russia relies on the marketplace for daily supplies. According to comments by international analysts from the German media Deutsche Welle (dw.com), the economic damage is already estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars, and the shares of direct competitor Ozon fell by more than 2% due to fears of an expansion of the strikes.
Official Kiev justified its actions through a statement by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who defined the warehouses as legitimate military targets, as they are used to supply sanctioned components for drones, navigation equipment and military equipment. For its part, the Kremlin denies that the platforms are used for army supplies. Against this background, the company's owner, Tatyana Kim, admitted that the insurance policies of the sites do not cover risks of “terrorism and sabotage”, and requested state aid in the form of tax breaks for the affected merchants.