Moscow May Be Left Without School Uniforms

Around 10,000 entrepreneurs may have been affected by a drone attack on Wildberries warehouses, according to the sellers themselves. Many had stocked up on goods worth tens of millions of rubles (hundreds of thousands of dollars at current rates) and taken out loans ahead of September 1 — they were preparing for the back-to-school season. The largest warehouse in Elektrostal and a smaller but still significant one on Kotovskogo Street were attacked by drones the day before.

Seller Lyubov Orlova from Sterlitamak (in Bashkortostan, Russia) — she sells jewelry and haberdashery on the marketplace — said that her goods worth 700,000 rubles (approximately $7,000 at current rates) were completely destroyed by the fire. Now the question arises of how to pay taxes and salaries on the 28th and what compensation will be. Below is her conversation with a journalist from UFA1.RU.

— Did your goods get damaged at the warehouse?

— Yes, I had about a thousand items stored in Elektrostal. In monetary terms, that«s roughly 700,000 rubles (approximately $7,000 at current rates). Fortunately, it wasn»t my main warehouse — I hadn«t shipped there for a long time because it became expensive. That saved me, though I used to really like that warehouse.

— So your goods are distributed across different warehouses?

— Yes, Wildberries has about thirty warehouses across Russia and even abroad, for example in Astana. We sellers try to distribute stock so that logistics to the customer are as fast as possible. Moscow warehouses have always been the most convenient in terms of speed, especially Elektrostal. But there are also internal reasons to keep goods at different locations, and as you can see, in a crisis situation this helps soften losses.

— Please explain for the average reader why sellers store goods at marketplace warehouses at all?

— There are two main models. First: goods are stored at a Wildberries warehouse (FBO) — as soon as they are sold, the platform itself sends them to the nearest pickup point. This is fast, especially in the capital region. Second: selling from your own warehouse (FBS) — then we ship orders ourselves, but delivery times to remote regions increase, and some buyers leave.

In addition, the platform«s commission when storing with them is lower. For my jewelry, for example, it»s about 34.5% compared to 40% if I ship myself. That«s why most sellers use the FBO option.

But now I personally am switching to FBS. The reason is safety. After two warehouses burned almost instantly, I am afraid to ship new batches. Moreover, on July 7, a new offer agreement came out that we cannot refuse — it is automatic. It has a clause: if a drone hits the warehouse and the goods are destroyed, Wildberries is not liable. Meanwhile, my goods in Elektrostal had been there since last year — before this offer agreement was adopted. As a lawyer explained, the new rules should not apply to them (but that«s not certain).

— Does the new offer agreement specifically concern the emergency regime due to UAVs?

— Yes, it directly mentions unmanned aerial vehicles. As for support, it is not what we need yet. For example, they offered us a loan on «favorable» terms, but we do not want to take on new debt. They also gave us a month of free storage at several warehouses, but that is mainly for food products, and there are few such sellers. The savings there are negligible — incomparable to what we lost.

— Approximately how many sellers were affected and to what extent?

— I believe that practically every seller working with Wildberries had something in Elektrostal. Some had goods worth thousands of rubles (tens to hundreds of dollars), others tens and hundreds of millions of rubles (hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars at current rates). According to some data, Elektrostal held about 10% of the marketplace«s total turnover. It is one of the largest warehouses.

— Has the platform reacted in any way?

— There was an official comment on social media that Wildberries, although formally not obligated to compensate anything, is considering options. In a letter, they told us that a decision should appear within 30 days. I have already recorded my balances — it was not easy because the warehouses were zeroed out in reports. I sent screenshots of the data, but so far I have only received a standard reply about general support measures.

— Does your lawyer think this offer agreement can be challenged?

— Yes, there are serious grounds for dispute. First, it is unclear exactly where my goods were stored and what was the direct cause of destruction. Second, why didn«t the fire system work? We pay for storage, and the marketplace acts as a custodian — it is obliged to ensure safety. If it was a fire and not a direct hit, or if the fire suppression system malfunctioned, then the platform»s fault is obvious. But for now, we are waiting for official clarifications.

— Will sellers appeal collectively?

— I think most have already sent individual letters. I have too. Now everyone is waiting for an official response. If it is not satisfactory, we will have to unite and hire lawyers. It is expensive, but there will be no other choice. I believe that fair compensation is at least 30% of the cost of the goods. That is the money that sellers usually withdraw from sales. Everything else goes to commissions, logistics, and storage. If they offer us a symbolic 20,000 rubles (about $200 at current rates) — that is insulting and incomparable to the damage.

— But this is a blow not only to sellers but also to consumers, especially in the Moscow region?

— Yes. The Moscow warehouses: Elektrostal, Kaledino, Tula, Ryazan, Podolsk — they are the logistics core for all of Russia. Now, if other warehouses are also closed, there could be a shortage of many goods in the capital. People were preparing for September 1, filling warehouses with seasonal goods. So Moscow may be left without school uniforms.

I would very much like the state to intervene. This is not an isolated case — tens of thousands of entrepreneurs have been affected. We pay taxes, create jobs. But now many have nothing to pay salaries and loans with, and taxes will need to be transferred on the 28th. I would like the state to pay attention to this situation, for example, by granting a deferment on tax payments. That would be an important signal of support.

— How are you personally coping with this situation?

— The worst thing is that people died there. That is the main thing. As for business, nothing is clear yet. Fortunately, I do not use borrowed funds, but many people have loans, and now they have nothing to repay with. My sales have already dropped, but I continue to work. The only thing to do now is to wait and hope that the platform and the state will react.

On July 18, drones attacked Wildberries logistics centers in the Tambov region and the Moscow suburbs. As a result of the attack, seven people died, and at least 49 were injured. Tatyana Kim stated the company«s readiness to support the families of the deceased and the injured. She also expressed readiness to support entrepreneurs.