In a targeted attack against the Russian online retailer Wildberries, Ukrainian drone strikes have decimated the inventories of many small businesses, including fashion designer Viktoria Terekhova’s children’s clothing line. Wildberries is compensating sellers, but the attacks have caused severe financial distress, highlighting the wider economic impacts of the ongoing conflict.
- Country:
- Russia
In a significant blow to Russian small businesses, drone strikes have destroyed a major part of the inventory of companies relying on the online retail giant Wildberries. Fashion designer Viktoria Terekhova was among the affected, losing nearly half of her children’s clothing stock in the attacks.
Ukrainian authorities have intensified their campaign against Russia, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasizing the aim to bring the war’s impact closer to ordinary Russians. The strikes since July have targeted multiple Wildberries warehouses, significantly affecting many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that depend on the platform for sales.
The financial fallout for these businesses is substantial. For individuals like Terekhova and clothing brand Airbase’s co-founder Oleg Kondratyev, the destruction has resulted in millions of roubles in losses. They express hope for deferrals and legal recourse as Wildberries begins compensating affected sellers.
