Wildberries Freezes Loan Repayments for Merchants After Drone Strikes

July 24, 2026 REUTERS / Anastasia Barashkova E-commerce giant Wildberries announced Friday that it has frozen loan repayments for small and medium-sized businesses whose inventory was destroyed in recent Ukrainian drone attacks on its warehouses. The three-month payment pause will apply automatically through the company’s in-house financial services through the end of October. The relief builds on existing financial support provided through the retailer’s parent company Wildberries & Russ (RWB). Wildberries previously announced a broader merchant relief package, including reduced storage fees, promotional discounts for select products and waived regional transit charges. On Thursday, RWB said that around 88,000 individual merchants began receiving the first tranche of compensation payments for products destroyed during a Ukrainian attack on its fulfillment center in the Moscow region. However, some merchants have complained online that the payouts fell well short of the value of their lost goods, according to an analysis of seller chat groups by the exiled news outlet Agentstvo. The Moscow region fulfillment center was among the first Wildberries facilities hit last Saturday. A wave of subsequent strikes has targeted multiple other warehouses, knocking out an estimated 10% of the company’s logistics capacity, Kommersant reported. Ukraine has accused Wildberries of supplying the Russian military with drone parts and other equipment. The company has denied the claim. Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim, Russia’s wealthiest woman, promised financial aid to the families of employees killed or injured in the attacks. Just days before the strikes began, Wildberries updated its merchant agreement to exempt itself from financial liability for products damaged or destroyed in missile and drone attacks. Other Russian e-commerce platforms have since done the same. Read more about: Wildberries , Business , Retail Sign up for our free weekly newsletter Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy We sent a confirmation to your email. Please confirm your subscription. A Message from The Moscow Times: Dear readers, We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia. We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help. Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact. By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us. Once Monthly Annual Continue Not ready to support today? Remind me later. × Remind me next month Remind me Thank you! Your reminder is set. We will send you one reminder email a month from now. For details on the personal data we collect and how it is used, please see our Privacy Policy. Read more Yandex Market Limits Liability for Drone Attacks After Wildberries Strikes The changes make Yandex Market the latest major Russian marketplace to shift more of the financial risk from wartime disruptions onto merchants. 2 Min read Wildberries Stops Compensating Sellers for Products Damaged in Airstrikes Starting Tuesday, July 7, Wildberries will not be required to compensate sellers under force majeure circumstances resulting from artillery, drone and... 1 Min read Moscow Court Awards Russia’s Wealthiest Woman Ex-Husband’s Stake in Online Retailer Tatiana Kim divorced her ex-husband Vladislav Bakalchuk after a surprise merger with outdoor advertising firm Russ Group last summer. 1 Min read Rising Inflation Gives Boost to Russia’s Discount Retailers Surging prices and weak wages are a win-win for Russia’s bargain stores, even as the wider economy slows.