After Ukraine's Drones Destroyed Billions in Goods, Russia's E-Commerce Giants Begged the Kremlin for a Bailout — and Built a Military Marketplace

Seller losses alone are estimated at 215–280 billion rubles (≈$2.6–$3.4 billion), according to Data Insight lead analyst Sergei Semko, as cited by Forbes Russia . Total combined losses — seller inventory plus Wildberries' infrastructure — may reach 480 billion rubles (≈$5.9 billion), with Wildberries having lost about a third of its total warehouse capacity . Rebuilding destroyed infrastructure alone could cost Wildberries 147–223 billion rubles . One broader estimate pegs the total bailout needed at over 1.3 trillion rubles (≈$16 billion) to prevent financial collapse .

The Bailout Request to the Kremlin

On or around August 14, 2026, Russia's largest e-commerce companies — led by Wildberries and reportedly including Ozon and others — jointly appealed to the government for non-refundable federal financial aid to compensate sellers for catastrophic losses .

Earlier, in late July, the Kremlin acknowledged that discussions were underway, with state-controlled bank VTB expected to play a central role in any support package . A support package under discussion as of early August would give affected sellers up to a year of loan-payment holidays and allow banks to restructure debts . However, a Kremlin source told Reuters that "no one has that kind of money" to fully cover the losses, noting the hundreds of billions of rubles needed .

Government's Likely Response

The Kremlin has publicly said it is "monitoring the situation" but has not yet taken formal decisions to intervene . Officials are exploring options through VTB, but the scale of the losses (hundreds of billions of rubles) exceeds what the state budget can easily absorb . Partial measures — loan holidays, debt restructuring for sellers — are more likely than a full state bailout of Wildberries itself, though the risk of mass bankruptcies among small and medium sellers is high .

Kyiv's Justification for Targeting Wildberries

Ukraine has stated that drone components and other military-related goods were stored in Wildberries warehouses, making the facilities legitimate military targets . Ukraine also accuses Wildberries of aiding the Russian war effort by serving as a logistics platform for dual-use goods . By striking Wildberries, Kyiv aims to disrupt Russia's military supply chain, hit the Russian economy at the consumer level, and bring the war closer to ordinary Russians — damaging public morale by destroying goods made, sold, and bought by everyday citizens .

Broader Implications: Launch of Roy.Market

On August 1, 2026, Russia's Roy.Market — a specialized military marketplace run by the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies (ЦБСТ) — officially exited pilot mode and began full-scale operation . The platform, initially launched in early 2025 as a closed pilot, is now open to third-party sellers and offers dual-use goods, drone components, and military equipment .

Roy.Market is actively recruiting sellers from Wildberries and Ozon, offering them a new home for military-related products — a direct response to Ukraine's targeting of civilian warehouses that were allegedly storing military goods . The platform plans to expand its catalog to over 10,000 items by 2027, with substantially lower commission fees than mainstream marketplaces . The timing — just days after the peak of Ukraine's drone campaign and the e-commerce bailout request — highlights Russia's strategic pivot to dedicated military e-commerce infrastructure that separates defense logistics from civilian retail, making it harder for Ukraine to justify targeting .