Strikes on Wildberries warehouses in Russia have led to major losses for entrepreneurs from Central Asia and forced businesses to think about compensation, insurance, and the risks of dependence on the Russian marketplace. The situation is being analyzed by Azattyq Asia.
Attacks by Ukrainian drones on Wildberries warehouses in Russia have resulted in major losses for entrepreneurs from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and other Central Asian countries. While sellers assess their losses and try to understand whether they will be able to receive compensation, the Russian marketplace continues to expand its presence in the region. What happened to the business after the strikes and what risks might it face in the future?
Attacks on Wildberries logistics facilities began on July 18. Russian authorities and company management call them “terrorist.” Ukraine claims it is striking infrastructure that supports the Kremlin’s war machine.
“These are warehouses through which supplies for conducting war, navigation equipment, components for drone production, and other supplies for Russia were delivered,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
There is no independent confirmation that Wildberries is officially part of Russia’s Ministry of Defense logistics system. However, goods presented on the marketplace are purchased for Russian military personnel and units located on the front lines.
After the attacks began, Wildberries stopped issuing goods by request and tag “Everything for the SVO.” Nevertheless, military and dual-use products can still be found on the platform using other search queries.
The publication Meduza examined volunteer collections and found 1,882 product items from Wildberries with a total value of approximately 18.6 million rubles. At the same time, one item could denote either a single product or an entire batch.
Analysts from the Data Insight research agency estimate potential seller losses at 445–508 billion rubles — from $5 to $5.8 billion. Restoring Wildberries’ damaged infrastructure could require 147 to 279 billion rubles depending on the scope of work.
Nikolay Kulbaka, a candidate of economic sciences and analyst, believes that for small sellers, the loss of goods stored in warehouses could put the very existence of the business in question.
“If this is a small seller whose products were specifically stored in the warehouse and he lost them, for him it’s a question of either bankruptcy or survival with great difficulty. As for Wildberries, while this is serious and quite significant losses comparable to annual profit, perhaps even exceeding it. We understand that Wildberries is now closely connected with VTB Bank and other structures. If the company existed on its own, this would be almost fatal for it. In the situation it is currently in, I don’t think this will lead to its bankruptcy,” he says.
“The consequences will be serious.” What entrepreneurs from Central Asia are saying
Entrepreneur from Kyrgyzstan Gulnara Turdumamatova says that the bulk of her goods were stored in Elektrostal in Moscow region, and the rest in Krasnodar. In total, about 15,000 items were stored in two warehouses.
“On Saturday afternoon we learned that all our goods had burned. I have two accounts with about 15,000 items. Their value was approximately $57,000–68,000. Now we don’t have a single item left on Wildberries. Orders have also stopped — everything has come to a halt,” the entrepreneur says.
Similar problems have arisen for other business representatives from Central Asia.
A representative of a textile enterprise from Uzbekistan, who asked not to be named for security reasons, claims that losses for individual companies due to the fires have reached tens of millions of dollars.
“There are enterprises that lost $30 million, $22 million, and up to $1 million due to the fire! A group of our representatives tried to bring the enterprises’ problems to the Council’s attention, but we were not heard. The only thing that was done was create a headquarters and send a request to Wildberries. To this day, there are no concrete measures,” he says.
Azamat Kerimbek uulu, director of the Kyrgyzstan Light Industry Enterprises Association “Legprom,” believes that the most serious consequences for entrepreneurs may manifest later.
“To be honest, all the difficulties are still ahead. This is just the beginning. The consequences will be serious — the supply chain has been broken. We were focused on just one marketplace,” he warns.
According to him, many sewing workshops are currently without work.
Dependence on the Russian market
For Uzbekistan’s textile industry, Russia remains one of the key markets. According to Ozodlik, the Uzbek service of RFE/RL, the country has more than 7,000 textile enterprises, most of which supply products to Russia.
According to Wildberries, in 2025 sales of Uzbek goods through the marketplace exceeded $1.5 billion. In 2023, this figure was $418 million, and in 2024 — $605 million.
After attacks on Russian warehouses, exporters faced two main questions: who will compensate for the cost of destroyed products and how to reduce such risks in the future?
A representative of an affected Uzbek enterprise believes that without support, a significant portion of companies could face bankruptcy.
“If there is no support, more than half of textile industry companies will go bankrupt. If the smallest enterprise provides jobs for 100 people, then medium-sized ones — 1,200–1,500 people, and large enterprises employ 3,000 to 5,000 people! The textile industry is considered one of the drivers of Uzbekistan’s exports. Many companies will be left with nothing,” he says.
Who will compensate for the burned goods?
In Uzbekistan, authorities have begun collecting appeals from entrepreneurs whose products may have been destroyed or damaged at Russian Wildberries warehouses. Vice Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev instructed to prepare information about debts to exporters and develop a long-term solution to the problem.
However, Wildberries does not believe it is obligated to fully compensate for the cost of destroyed goods. Wildberries owner Tatyana Kim stated that attacks on warehouses fall under “force majeure circumstances.”
“Whether or not this clause is included in the offers is irrelevant. Therefore, these losses are not subject to compensation under the law,” Kim stated.
Thus, entrepreneurs face additional uncertainty: having lost their goods, they do not yet know whether they will be able to recover the funds invested in them.
Against the backdrop of problems with Russian logistics, Uzbekistan’s authorities and business are discussing the possibility of diversifying export channels and beginning negotiations with other international online platforms.
The Cabinet is forming a working group of 20 companies that will prepare Uzbek producers to enter Amazon, Zalando, Shein, and Temu.
Entrepreneurs from Kyrgyzstan gained the ability to register directly on Wildberries and sell goods without intermediaries in 2021. Over the years, the marketplace has become one of the important e-commerce channels for local business.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Kyrgyzstan, in 2025 the volume of domestic online trade reached $600 million, and including cross-border transactions — about one billion.
After strikes on Russian warehouses, affected sellers began creating chats in messengers where they share data on losses and discuss possible assistance.
The situation is complicated by the lack of insurance, as well as the fact that some entrepreneurs operate unofficially. As a result, it is often difficult to establish the actual volume of products in warehouses and the exact amount of damage.
According to various estimates, more than 27,000 Kyrgyzstani entrepreneurs sell goods through marketplaces. However, only about a hundred entrepreneurs working in the field of e-commerce are registered with the tax service.
After negotiations with Wildberries representatives, Kyrgyzstan’s authorities reported that they are helping to assess the damage suffered by local businesses.
First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiyev stated that it is difficult for the state to determine the exact amount of losses because the volumes of entrepreneurs’ goods are not registered. According to him, authorities are ready to provide support through preferential lending, and entrepreneurs should make more active use of insurance.
Wildberries expands in Central Asia despite risks
Despite attacks on Russian warehouses and seller losses, Wildberries continues to implement plans to expand its business in Central Asia.
In Uzbekistan, the company announced its intention to invest approximately $150 million in building a large logistics complex in Tashkent region.
In Kazakhstan, the marketplace is building two large storage facilities — in Astana and Almaty. Their combined area should exceed 260,000 square meters. Kazakhstan’s Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkalieyev emphasized that the projects were announced in advance and are not related to the current attacks on Wildberries warehouses in Russia.
In the first quarter of next year, the company expects to complete construction and installation work on a 160,000 square meter facility in Almaty and approximately 100,000 square meters in Astana.
According to Kazakh authorities, Wildberries currently rents warehouses in the country with a combined area of 46,000 square meters. The marketplace itself reports that more than 120,000 entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan registered on the platform last year.
Along with the expansion of Russian e-commerce in Central Asia, associated risks may also grow.
Kazakhstan has already faced pressure from the West over possible circumvention of sanctions restrictions and re-export of dual-use goods to Russia. Kazakh economist Aidar Alibayev believes that using new logistics centers for such supplies could increase these risks.
“Some dual-use goods will definitely be there. All of this will push Kazakhstan so that we fall under sanctions. Tomorrow the West will learn that Wildberries uses us to support the Russian army with its components. We are being used purely as a platform,” Alibayev says.
In his opinion, the appearance of Russian warehouses in Kazakhstan could create additional difficulties for the country.
Risks could become even higher if dual-use goods, components, and equipment for Russian military production are transported through these facilities.
Attacks on Wildberries warehouses have demonstrated the vulnerability of a business that depends on a single trading platform and its logistics infrastructure, especially if it is located in a country waging war.
For Central Asian entrepreneurs, the consequences are not limited to the cost of destroyed products. Disruption of supply chains threatens production shutdowns, loss of orders, and employment problems.
Therefore, the main question now is not only about the size of losses already incurred. Businesses must assess how safe it is to continue depending on a single platform and a logistics system connected to Russia.
