Russia's Wildberries company has begun paying compensation to small business entities affected by Ukrainian drone attacks. Separate support measures are also being developed for medium and large sellers. This was announced by the company's CEO Tatyana Kim.
According to her, about 88 thousand small entrepreneurs whose goods were stored in the warehouse in Elektrostal will receive the initial measures of financial assistance.
"The smallest and most vulnerable layer of our entrepreneurs — about 88 thousand people whose goods were placed in the Elektrostal warehouse — will today receive the initial measures of financial support, or will see these funds reflected in their personal accounts," said Tatyana Kim.
For medium and large sellers, a separate mechanism called a "sales simulator" is being developed. According to it, entrepreneurs will receive payments for their goods as if they were sold from the warehouse, based on the same prices and discounts.
Tatyana Kim said that Wildberries' offer includes a clause releasing the company from liability for damages caused by attacks and drone-related risks. However, she emphasized that the company will not abandon sellers in a difficult situation.
Attacks on Wildberries warehouses
It is reported that the first drone attacks on Wildberries' warehouses in Kotovsk and Elektrostal occurred on July 18. Later, the company's warehouses in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk were also attacked.
The Russian Investigative Committee assessed these attacks as a terrorist act. As a result of the attacks, several people were killed and dozens were injured.
According to calculations by Data Insight analyst Sergey Semko, the fires at warehouses in the Tambov and Moscow regions may have destroyed goods worth at least 150 billion rubles. According to his estimates, the total amount of damage could be even higher.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky explained the attacks on Wildberries warehouses by the fact that spare parts for drones and navigation equipment were stored there.
It is reported that a large part of the goods stored in the company's warehouses were purchased with credit funds. Therefore, after the attacks, the entrepreneurs' obligations to taxes and suppliers also remained.
