Things are not going well in russia. Multi-kilometer long gas lines. Empty grocery shelves. No diesel to irrigate, harvest or transport the fall harvest. Burning oil refineries. And now – an enormous Wildberries (the russian Amazon) facility has burned to the ground.
The facility is listed as 188,000 m2, or about 46.46 acres acres.
Wildberries is the largest Russian online retailer. It was founded in 2004 by Tatyana Kim.
As of 2026, Wildberries had over 90,000 pickup points across its markets of presence, handling ~90% of deliveries and making collection accessible within walking distance. The company operates over 4 million sqm of self-built warehouses in Russia and is constructing the largest logistics facilities in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus to accelerate local deliveries and sales.
On 18 July 2026, Ukrainian drones destroyed the Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal and another in Kotovsk, which resulted in the deaths of nine people with another 62 injuries. During another large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow Oblast on 20 July, the Wildberries logistics center in Koledino, near Podolsk, was hit. Russian officials stated that more than 400 drones had approached the Moscow region during the attack.
After the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Kim [Wildberrie’s founder] was reportedly personally involved in talks with the Russian Federal AntiMonopoly Service over legalizing parallel imports (importing products from abroad without the permission of the trademark owner).
In September 2024 Vladislav Bakalchuk [the founder’s husband] was arrested on a murder charge following a deadly shootout which occurred after he and other armed men raided Wildberries’ Moscow headquarters. Following the incident, Tatyana announced that she was reverting to her maiden surname. Their divorce was finalised in 2025.
Ukraine burned a 188,000-square-meter warehouse near Moscow. The First Separate Center of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS) confirmed it struck the Wildberries logistics warehouse in Moscow Oblast, saying the facility was ablaze with black smoke visible for kilometers.
Wildberries is the largest Russian online retailer and e-commerce marketplace. Ukraine has increasingly gone after the logistics and commercial infrastructure feeding Russia’s war, not only refineries and arms plants.
“Wildberries with a crust from Moscow Oblast. A huge 188,000-square-meter Wildberries warehouse is burning brightly thanks to the work of the 1st Separate Center of the SBS, and the black smoke is visible for kilometers,” the unit said, adding that “when karma works, fire extinguishers no longer help wild society.”
The Russian OSINT channel Astra reported separately that military equipment and drone-tuning tools were sold through the marketplace, and that some estimates put the fire damage at up to 100 billion rubles (about $1.3 billion), with no official figure.
The Russian marketplace Wildberries and businesses selling on its platform have reportedly incurred losses of more than RUB 100 billion (US$1.3 billion) due to fires at logistics complexes in Moscow and Tambov oblasts.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the logistics facilities hit in Moscow and Tambov Oblasts were used to supply sanctioned components for the production of drones and navigation equipment.
The Language of Tolstoy, the Language of Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of Russia’s most influential 19th-century authors, renowned for his psychological depth, philosophical insight, and exploration of the human condition.
WLBOTT is nothing if not not original. We stand on the shoulders of giants. Today’s giant is Jay in Kyiv.
He brings forth many poignant observations. One of my favorites is how russians are unable to string together three words without two of them being profanities.
Jay featured the lamentations of this woman loosing her life savings, due to the Force Majeure instituted by Wildberries in response to the warehouse fire.
More Lamentations
The prototype for Baba Yaga. She is lamenting the Ukrainian drones causing her to wait in gas lines.
Bingo Board Update (7/21/2026)! Ukraine has now destroyed the LARGEST Wildberries warehouse. https://youtu.be/rNSsCKBXK_A
As part of his exploration of the compassion and understanding born from shared suffering, Jay recently featured russian Babushkas fighting over a part bench.
Our friend of the BLOTT, Jake Broe, is also one of our giants. A steadfast believer in democracy and fairness and justice, he has introduced a segment in his YouTube channel called “Russian Women Crying in their Cars.” Perhaps a future BLOTT?
Force Majeure
Extensive drone strikes hit major Wildberries logistics hubs near Moscow, triggering a massive fire in Elektrostal. Wildberries recently updated its seller terms, classifying damage from drone strikes and falling debris as force majeure—a legal clause that frees them from compensating merchants for destroyed inventory.
Recent Policy Changes: Earlier in July, Wildberries updated its terms for marketplace sellers. They added specific language classifying damages from military events, drone strikes, artillery, and political protests as force majeure events.
Meaning for Sellers: Because of this rule, Wildberries stated they do not intend to reimburse merchants for the cost of goods that were lost or destroyed in the fires.
Gemini
Force majeure (French for “superior force”) is a contractual clause that frees both parties from liability if an extraordinary, unavoidable, and unforeseeable event—such as a natural disaster, war, or government shutdown—prevents them from fulfilling their obligations.
In contract law, force majeure is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, crime, epidemic, or sudden legal change prevents one or both parties from fulfilling their obligations under the contract. Force majeure often includes events described as acts of God, though such events remain legally distinct from the clause itself. In practice, most force majeure clauses do not entirely excuse a party’s non-performance but suspend it for the duration of the force majeure.
Force Majeure (French: [fɔʁs maʒœʁ]; Swedish: Turist, lit. ’Tourist’) is a 2014 black comedy film written and directed by Ruben Östlund. It follows the marital tension resulting from an apparent avalanche in the French Alps, during which the husband prioritizes his escape over the safety of his wife and two children. The title Force Majeure used for the film in some English-speaking countries comes from force majeure, a contractual clause freeing both parties from liability in the event of unexpected disasters.
This movie may cause you to reflect on gender dynamics.
Lamentations, russia-Style
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest.”
“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord’s wrath. He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light… He has barred my way with blocks of stone; he has made my paths crooked… My soul has been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what goodness is. So I say, ‘My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.'”
“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”
“But I cry to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you. Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me?… You have taken from me friend and neighbor—darkness is my closest friend.”
According to Elder G
The Moral Reflection: This highlight the refusal to look in the mirror—how crying over disrupted routines while staying silent on civilian casualties flips the idea of true repentance (teshuvah) or genuine grief completely on its head.
The Lament of the Unseeing Eye 1 How isolated sits the daughter of luxury, she who wept not for the fallen, but for her own quiet table! Her tea grows cold in the hour of judgment, and her bread is stale upon her plate.
2 She gazes into the glass in her hand, and her tears fall fast for the lost comforts of her youth. "Woe unto me," she cries, "for my peace is shaken, and my daily routines have turned to ash!"
3 Yet behind her hangs the reflection she will not behold: a wall broken by thunder, a city laid waste in the night. The dust of her neighbor's ruin fills the air, but she covers her face only from her own shadow.
4 She mourns the closing of the market and the loss of her gains, while the orphan cries out in the street unheeded. She counts her inconveniences as great affliction, and calls her small discomfort a heavy cross.
5 Hear this, O ye who weep for the velvet that is torn, while the flesh of the innocent is pierced: Your lamentation is an echo in an empty room, for you have turned your back upon the mirror of truth.
Jobs at Wildberries!
Should Sally the Intern brush up on her russian? They are hiring! But you must bring your own fire extinguisher.
We had a quick gander at the Wildberries web site. Basically the same cheap plastic crap you can buy off Amazon.
We were intrigued by one selection, however:
Sally was poking around the web site, and found the employment opportunities.
Not to be overly cynical, but the “approximate” symbol (Alt 247, ≈) does not give us confidence. After all, (Alt 8381) ₽125,000/month ($1,590.82, or about $367.11/wk) is also approximately ₽85,000/month, nyet?
Anyhow, Sally decided to apply as an intern to the Wildberries jurisprudence department. She felt like she had a lot of relevant experience. Like russia, the laws in America are a joke, and the only real legal consideration is how much money you have to throw around.
Sally came across a testimonial by an intern that was ultimately hired by WB.
