The logistics center of the Russian marketplace Wildberries in Yekaterinburg suspended operations and was completely closed this morning after a suspected drone attack.
The incident is part of a large-scale wave of attacks against the company's critical commercial infrastructure in Russia.
What happened in Yekaterinburg?
Around 9:00 a.m. local time, loud rumblings were heard in the area of \u200b\u200b\u200bPerspektiva Street, followed by thick black smoke, eyewitnesses told the regional media (E1.ru). According to preliminary information disseminated by Ukrainian military observers and OSINT channels (Exilenova+), drones hit the area in front of the logistics facility.
The explosions occurred in the complex's parking lot, where several vehicles caught fire. Due to the immediate security threat, the company's management immediately evacuated all employees on shift. Activities were also suspended at the neighboring large logistics facility of the “SportMaster“ chain.
Official position and damage
The Wildberries press center confirmed the incident and announced that the staff was evacuated on time and no workers were injured. The main warehouse itself was only minimally damaged or was saved from spreading thanks to the rapid intervention of the fire services (Meduza.io).
However, the entire area remains cordoned off by law enforcement agencies. An official drone threat regime has been introduced in the Sverdlovsk region, and a special security plan was briefly activated at the Yekaterinburg airport (RBK-Ukraine).
Systemic attacks on Russian online business
This is yet another closed or damaged facility of the company run by billionaire Tatyana Kim. In the last week alone, the company's logistics centers have suffered serious attacks:
- Warehouses destroyed and closed: A few days ago, strategic warehouses in the Moscow region (Electrostal), Krasnodar, St. Petersburg and Simferopol were hit and temporarily closed.
- Economic consequences: International analysts (Deutsche Welle / DW.com) estimate that the total direct and indirect losses for the marketplace and the thousands of merchants selling on the platform could exceed 100 billion rubles.
Currently, suppliers' access to the Yekaterinburg warehouse is blocked, and orders from the region are being redirected to other hubs.