Wildberries Seeks Kazakhstan Warehouses Amid Drone Attack Concerns

Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries is reportedly seeking to lease a substantial amount of warehouse space in Kazakhstan, with sources indicating a requirement of around 100,000 square meters. Some reports suggest the company is willing to lease nearly all available warehouse space in the country.

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Wildberries is looking for about 100,000 square meters of warehouse space.

This strategic move is interpreted by some as an attempt to safeguard Wildberries' logistics infrastructure from potential drone attacks originating from Ukraine. The Moscow Times cited sources suggesting this as a primary motivation for the expansion into Kazakhstan.

However, securing such a large, contiguous warehouse space presents significant challenges. As of late 2025, Kazakhstan had approximately 1.9 million square meters of high-quality warehouse space, but only 5.8% was vacant. Stanislav Akhmedzianov of IBC Global noted that no single available warehouse in Kazakhstan meets the 100,000 square meter requirement. By the end of June this year, only about 130,000 square meters were vacant nationwide, spread across various cities.

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The marketplace is ready to lease practically all available warehouses currently in Kazakhstan.

Rental costs in Kazakhstan are also approaching Moscow levels, with an average price of about 854 rubles (around 9.5 euros) per square meter per month. This high cost, coupled with limited availability, makes the expansion difficult. Furthermore, warehouse owners in Russia are hesitant to sign new leases with e-commerce platforms due to fears of further Ukrainian drone attacks, especially since standard insurance policies do not cover drone-related damages.

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There is currently no single free warehouse in Kazakhstan with an area of 100,000 square meters.

Wildberries, operated by RWB Group, has not directly confirmed a link between its Kazakhstan plans and drone threats. The company stated it is consistently expanding its logistics infrastructure in all operating countries and is already building large logistics centers in Almaty and Astana. They emphasize a focus on redistributing goods between warehouses to ensure business continuity. Despite these official statements, business analysts like Mikhail Burmistrov of Infoline-Analytics question the economic viability of relocating goods to Kazakhstan due to increased costs and delivery times.

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Warehouse rental prices in Kazakhstan have almost caught up to Moscow's level.