Warehouse workers recall chaos during drone attack

“At first it seems far away. Then it becomes very close. If only it would all end…”

With these words, a priest concluded a prayer service at the site of the tragedy after drone attacks on the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal on 18 July. He and a mullah were invited by employees who worked at one of the largest logistics centres in the Moscow region. Now only ruins remain at the site.

Dozens of workers gathered on 27 July to lay flowers and pray for the health of the injured. The tragedy united people who had seen each other before but often did not even know each other’s names.

According to official data, 25-year-old Tajik national Navruzdzhon Sodikov died in the attack, and 57 people were injured.

“If I hadn’t run for the exit, that would have been it”

“I remember that day well. My husband and I arrived around 4:20, entered the block, changed clothes, passed security, and reached the third block when we heard the first explosion,” began Wildberries employee Asya. “If I’m not mistaken, the first drone exploded at the tenth block. Then we heard a second explosion, then a third, and we ran towards the sixth block.”

She was seething with anger, spoke without pause, and was ready to tell everything that happened that terrible day.

“When we got there, everyone was already standing inside, closer to the mezzanine, and they were all being herded there. They weren’t letting them go,” Asya recalled. “I ran up to the supervisors of either the fourth or sixth block – I didn’t know them. I go up and say: ‘Open the gates!’ So that people could run out, because the automatic system had closed the gates.”

A warehouse mezzanine is a multi-level shelving structure that allows efficient use of vertical space, creating additional levels for storage, work areas, offices, or production processes.

Many stood on this mezzanine on orders from senior supervisors. Meanwhile, more drones kept hitting. According to the woman, there was no time to figure out what to do – a fire could already have started on the upper tiers.

“In the end, they moved us to the seventh block, but I just couldn’t stand there; I didn’t like any of it,” Asya fumed. “It was as if God was pushing me to run out. I ran to the supervisors again. They were standing there, and I said: ‘Open the gates!’ because there had already been 8–10 explosions. I don’t know exactly which blocks were hit.”

According to her, during the attack the supervisors herded a great many people onto the seventh block under the mezzanine.

“They were on the first floor under the netting,” Asya added. “I’m afraid they didn’t make it. When I ran out, a drone hit literally a minute later right on the seventh block. A lot of people remained there. I still don’t know what happened to them.”

The WB employee claims that among that group she saw no one she knew. Several people managed to run out right behind her: her husband, a friend named Lena, and the loaders who opened the gates.

Then Asya and her acquaintances climbed a small hill along the fence. A moment later, several more drones slammed into the building. Then they all ran towards the parking lot.

“When a drone struck right into the block next to checkpoint No. 1, a metal ball hit our windshield and shattered it,” Asya said. “There were cars there too. Our front window was smashed, some had their rear windows smashed. Everything was in pieces. The drones were packed with ball bearings. It was sheer terror – people were screaming.”

They fought the fire while more and more drones hit the warehouse

A similar story was told by Svetlana (name changed), who was working on block 9 that morning. We speak during a memorial service. People continue to bring flowers. Black ribbons and hushed whispers with the quiet question: “How many people were actually hurt?”

“As soon as the first explosion rang out on block 10, we immediately left our workstations. We went to the gates, but one of the supervisors told us not to rush outside – it might be unsafe there,” the woman recalled. “After all, no one knew what was going on. A minute later, we finally started jumping off the gates where trucks were being loaded. And, as it turned out, just in time. While we hesitated and thought about where to run, I looked back: the mezzanine of our block was already on fire.”

According to eyewitnesses, people first lined up along the fence. Some tried to run to their cars, others went back to pull out the wounded while flames spread on the upper shelf tiers. Workers noted that the fire suppression system worked promptly.

Several people saw a similar scene. Zukhra (name changed), who worked that day, said she was outside when the first strikes hit.

“I remember: a drone fell, and I ended up right next to the sixth block,” Zukhra recalled. “They started evacuating people from there, and an ambulance arrived after a while. Meanwhile, drones kept falling on the blocks. And only later did people start coming out of the seventh block – one after another.”

The woman said she did not personally see any injured or wounded. At that moment, she and her colleagues ran towards the parking lot, where they could take cover. Many were screaming, and the blocks blazed one after another. After some time, buses began picking people up.

Workers help each other

The tragedy has united warehouse employees. People are helping each other with food, contacts, and coordinating information in shared chats. Among the volunteers are two former employees who belong to the union of ex-WB workers.

According to Anna Yeperina and Galina Vorobyova, dozens of people are currently in hospitals. Volunteers offer help with document restoration, provide food, and help contact relatives.

“We were in the hospitals of Orekhovo-Zuyevo and Pavlovsky Posad, where we found the injured. We brought them water, wipes, food, and medicine when needed,” Galina Vorobyova said.

According to her, many may have lost phones, documents, and other important items – they were left in lockers with personal belongings or lost during evacuation.

The woman believes that people who remained in the mezzanine may have suffered because of evacuation problems. Yeperina herself worked for a long time as an instructor at the WB warehouse and trained staff. In a conversation with MSK1.RU, she suggested why the evacuation was chaotic and why people were not led out immediately.

“This mezzanine is a space between the shelves. Essentially, it’s a trap,” Anna Yeperina shared. “Everything there catches fire easily, and in an explosion the structure can collapse and bury a person. Staying there was impossible. But block managers might not have made that decision right away because they didn’t understand how many drones were coming or that a fire had already started. For the company, downtime is unacceptable: if it had been a minor incident – say, a drone hit the fence – they would have continued working.”

Yeperina and Vorobyova also believe the real number of injured exceeds official figures, because thousands of employees work night shifts at the warehouse.

According to official data, 57 people were injured. Volunteers are collecting information about missing employees who have not been in contact. So far, as Galina Vorobyova said, this is done through word of mouth: employees recall acquaintances and verify their details.

The search is complicated by the large number of foreign workers and the lack of communication. So if you know anything about missing Wildberries employees who work at the Elektrostal warehouse and may have been there on the day of the drone attack, please contact us.

In response to a request from MSK1.RU, the Wildberries press service denied the information that warehouse employees were prevented from leaving the building once a fire had started.

“All necessary evacuation drills are regularly conducted at all warehouses,” the company stated. “We are in constant contact with local emergency services: early warning signals allow us to evacuate people in an orderly manner even before an attack begins.”

Earlier, Tatyana Kim announced the compensation amounts the company is ready to pay to the injured and the families of the deceased.

“As I said, the company will provide support to the families of the deceased and those affected by the attacks on our logistics complexes in Elektrostal and Kotovsk,” she said. “Families of the deceased will receive 2 million rubles (approximately $22,500 at current rates). Those seriously injured will receive 1 million rubles (about $11,200). I extend my deepest condolences to the families and wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

The Wildberries press service also insists that they are in contact with all victims.

“From the first minutes after the incident, the company has been acting according to a protocol of immediate response: information about the emergency reaches the crisis center instantly, and within 60 minutes we begin personally contacting those affected by the tragedy,” the marketplace’s press service stated. “Our operators call every injured person to find out their condition, need for psychological support, and answer questions that concern the people themselves and their loved ones.”

The company also said that payments have already begun.

“At the same time, financial payments are underway: the company has already directed more than 26 million rubles (approximately $292,000 at current rates) in direct support, as previously announced by Wildberries founder and RWB head Tatyana Kim,” WB added. “We remain in contact with everyone who needs help, and we will help for as long as necessary.”

Earlier, MSK1.RU told the story of one of the victims who was in a hospital in Pavlovsky Posad. He was friends with the deceased 25-year-old Navruzdzhon. As it turned out, his wife was pregnant, and he left behind two older brothers and five sisters.