Russia's largest online retailer could take years to restore its logistics network after drone strikes severely damaged key Wildberries warehouses, forcing the company to seek emergency capacity outside the country as pressure mounts on its supply chain.

The attacks damaged more than 550,000 square metres of warehouse space—around 10% of the company's total logistics capacity. The value of the destroyed real estate is estimated at nearly 60 billion roubles (around $762 million), highlighting the growing economic cost of strikes deep inside Russia.

Logistics Network Forced to Adapt

Wildberries is abandoning its reliance on a handful of vast distribution centres in favour of a more decentralised network of regional hubs designed to reduce the risk of future disruption.

The shift reflects a broader challenge facing Russian businesses as attacks increasingly threaten critical commercial infrastructure. Rather than risk a complete shutdown from a single strike, companies are spreading operations across multiple locations.

Recovery Set to Be Slow and Costly

Industry experts estimate that repairing one major logistics complex covering around 100,000 square metres will take at least six to eight months and require tens of millions of dollars in investment.

A full rebuild of that site alone is expected to exceed $70 million, excluding the value of destroyed stock. Based on those figures, restoring all damaged warehouse space could take around three years, although the timetable will depend on the extent of damage and the wider security situation.

Kazakhstan Becomes a Vital Back-Up

As reconstruction begins, Wildberries operator RWB Group has turned to neighbouring Kazakhstan to plug the gap. The company is seeking to lease almost all available logistics space, targeting around 100,000 square metres of additional capacity.

RWB is already developing new warehouse complexes in Almaty and Astana, but shifting operations abroad comes with significant trade-offs. Higher rental costs, longer transport routes and slower deliveries threaten to erode the efficiency that underpins Russia's booming e-commerce sector.

A Warning From Ukraine's Experience

Analysts point to Ukraine's warehouse market after the destruction of the West Logistic Park in the Kyiv region in 2022 as evidence that logistics capacity cannot be restored quickly once major facilities are lost.

For Wildberries, rebuilding warehouses is only part of the challenge. Restoring confidence in a supply chain increasingly exposed to wartime disruption may prove an even longer and more expensive battle.

No quick fix: Wildberries may need years to restore warehouses in Russia

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The Wildberries’ warehouse in Ryazan is the fourth largest - 173,000m2. It is missing from the picture because it was built very recently and then expanded in 2023-2024. So we cross out number 4 from our list!!

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by Tidal wave