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Ukraine strikes hit at least four Wildberries logistics centers, causing significant economic concerns
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Economy & Trade

Ukraine strikes hit at least four Wildberries logistics centers, causing significant economic concerns

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Ukrainian attacks have hit at least four Wildberries logistics centers across Russia, causing significant damage and potential economic disruption.
  • The affected centers, including those near Moscow and in southern regions, are vital to Russia's retail sector, which Wildberries dominates.
  • Economist Marius Dubnikov estimates that disruptions to Wildberries could impact 1.5-2% of Russia's economy, a significant loss comparable to the sinking of the Moskva cruiser.

Ukraine's strikes have targeted at least four major Wildberries logistics centers across Russia, igniting warehouses and raising concerns among thousands of small merchants. The attacks hit hubs from the Moscow and Tambov regions to Krasnodar and Stavropol.

Wildberries, as the largest logistics center, accounts for half of this amount – last year's turnover was about 66 billion euros. So, it is half of all Russian retail trade.

— Marius DubnikovDubnikov explains the scale of Wildberries' importance to the Russian economy.

Video footage circulating on Russian social media depicts engulfed warehouses and thick plumes of smoke. Merchants fear losing years of work and millions of rubles in inventory overnight. The strikes raise questions about their impact on Russia's economy and President Vladimir Putin's war efforts.

If this network is disrupted, a trade disruption of this magnitude occurs in Russia.

— Marius DubnikovDubnikov describes the potential economic impact of the attacks on Wildberries.

Economist Marius Dubnikov told Delfi that Wildberries accounts for half of Russia's approximately 125 billion euro annual retail market, with a turnover of about 66 billion euros last year. He stated that a significant disruption to this network could impact Russia's trade volume by that amount.

If, for example, Wildberries were completely eliminated (theoretically 100%, although this will certainly not happen), the risk is estimated at about 3% of the country's economy.

— Marius DubnikovDubnikov quantifies the potential GDP impact if Wildberries ceased to function.

Dubnikov estimated that if Wildberries were entirely eliminated, a theoretical scenario, it could risk about 3% of Russia's GDP. He noted that while complete destruction is unlikely, serious disruption is possible. With four of the top 10 or 20 Russian logistics centers already affected, he believes 1.5-2% of the Russian economy could be disrupted solely by logistics issues. He compared the direct losses from the destroyed warehouses, estimated at over a billion euros, to the loss of the Moskva cruiser, which also cost over a billion euros.

So if this center is significantly damaged, we can talk about 1.5–2% of Russia's economy being disrupted solely due to logistics center problems.

— Marius DubnikovDubnikov estimates the economic disruption from current and potential damage to logistics centers.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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