Ukrainian drones reportedly target Wildberries warehouse, university linked to drone development in Russia

Ukrainian forces struck a warehouse belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries in Vladimir Oblast and Belgorod State Technological University, where drones were developed and tested, in Belgorod Oblast on Aug. 3, Russian media Astra and Pepel reported.

Photos and videos posted to social media by local residents appear to show thick black smoke rising from the facility in Vladimir Oblast. Drones were seen flying overhead immediately prior to the strike.

In a post on Telegram, Wildberries' press service confirmed that a fire had broken out at the facility and initially said there were no casualties. Vladimir Oblast Governor Alexander Avdeyev later reported that two people were injured in the attack.

Elsewhere in Russia, drones struck Belgorod State Technological University, sparking a fire, according to the local Telegram channel Pepel Belgorod.

Regional authorities said a Ukrainian attack had set fire to a "social facility" but did not specify the building.

The university had been developing an automated drone control system, an uninterruptible power supply system for drones, and other unmanned aircraft-related projects, Pepel Belgorod reported.

The Kyiv Independent cannot immediately verify the reports. Ukraine has not commented on the reported attacks.

As Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure continue to intensify, Wildberries, frequently compared to e-commerce giant Amazon, has sustained various Ukrainian attacks on the company's facilities over the past few weeks.

A day prior on Aug. 2, a warehouse belonging to Wildberries in Samara Oblast was reportedly struck.

Another Wildberries warehouse was hit on July 31 in Volgograd Oblast. The Ukrainian Telegram channel Exilenova+ published on Aug. 3 satellite images that appeared to show the facility completely destroyed by fire.

Potential losses suffered by sellers on the marketplace following the recent attacks could reach 215–280 billion rubles ($2.7–$3.5 billion),Russian Forbes reported, citing Data Insight analyst Sergei Semko.

Wildberries lists a range of military equipment on its website, including drone components and body armor. Meanwhile, the company's banking arm was sanctioned by the EU in July over its financial contribution to Russia's state budget.

The strikes on Wildberries were part of a larger mass Ukrainian drone attack on targets in Russia, which have become a near-daily occurrence over the past year.

Wildberries and its founder, Tatiana Kim, Russia's wealthiest woman, have been targeted by international sanctions over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. When imposing sanctions on the company in 2022, Poland described Wildberries as "the largest taxpayer in the Russian Federation."

In an address on July 31, Kim described the security measures her company was taking in response to the strikes and explained why the business was not legally obligated to compensate users for losses caused by attacks.

Ukraine's warehouse attacks "constitute force majeure," Kim said. "Whether or not this clause is included in the terms of service is irrelevant; therefore, these losses are not subject to compensation under the law."

Wildberries has also prohibited employees from bringing smartphones to work, allowing them to use only basic mobile phones, the Russian Telegram news channel Ostorozhno Novosti reported on Aug. 3, citing an internal company notice.