Russian e-commerce giants seek hundreds of billions in state aid
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Fire at the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal, Moscow Region, July 18, 2026 (Photo: Social Media/via REUTERS)
Russia’s largest e-commerce companies have asked the government for direct federal budget assistance to compensate sellers for losses caused by Ukrainian drone attacks, Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported.
The Association of Digital Platforms, which includes Ozon, Yandex, Avito, Kuper and Wildberries, sent a formal letter to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin requesting government support.
Wildberries has lost all of its major warehouses as a result of Ukrainian drone strikes.
Under the association’s proposal, the amount of federal assistance would be determined based on the actual losses and scale of operations of each affected company.
The association is also asking the Russian government to grant affected businesses tax and mandatory-payment deferrals or installment plans for at least six months.
It also wants authorities to waive penalties and late-payment charges for periods when normal business operations were disrupted.
The total amount of assistance sought is estimated at hundreds of billions of rubles.
Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries — what is known
Ukraine’s Defense Forces began striking Wildberries logistics centers on July 18.
At least 20 distribution centers have been targeted by Ukrainian drones, with some facilities completely destroyed by fires, Reuters reported.
Wildberries has lost around 1.18 million square meters, or about 12.7 million square feet, of warehouse capacity.
The attacks are already affecting the company’s operations and the wider Russian economy.
Wildberries’ turnover has reportedly fallen by about a quarter amid lost logistics capacity and an exodus of sellers.
Russian outlet Agentstvo, citing a source close to the Kremlin, reported that Russia could face a wave of bankruptcies among entrepreneurs who sold goods through Wildberries and lost their inventory in attacks on its logistics centers.
Data Insight senior analyst Sergei Semko estimated Wildberries’ direct infrastructure losses at 147 billion to 223 billion rubles ($1.75 billion to $2.65 billion) by mid-August.
Including demolition, debris removal and site remediation, the costs could rise to 278 billion rubles ($3.31 billion).
Wildberries sellers are estimated to have lost merchandise worth 445 billion to 507 billion rubles ($5.29 billion to $6.05 billion).
That could bring combined losses to around 800 billion rubles ($9.5 billion).
Margarita Yevstigneyeva, head of the Association of Suppliers of Goods for E-Commerce Platforms, estimates seller losses even higher, at 600 billion to 700 billion rubles ($7.14 billion to $8.3 billion).
Including Wildberries’ own losses, total damage could approach 1 trillion rubles ($11.93 billion).
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