On the night of 26 August, drones launched a second attack on the large Wildberries logistics centre in Kotovsk, Tambov Oblast, Russian Federation. A major fire broke out on the complex’s premises following the strikes. According to the latest official figures from the Russian authorities, the fire covered an area of around 40,000 square metres. One employee was injured.
Briefly about the main points
- Drones have once again attacked the Wildberries hub in Kotovsk.
- A major fire broke out following the impact.
- The fire engulfed around 40,000 square metres.
- The warehouse staff were evacuated.
- This same hub had already been attacked in July.
Major fire at the Wildberries warehouse
On Tuesday night, 26 August, Kotovsk in the Tambov Oblast of the Russian Federation came under a massive drone attack. One of the targets hit was a large Wildberries logistics centre.
Governor of the Tambov Region Yevgen Pervyshov stated that, following the UAV strikes, a fire broke out on the hub’s premises, covering an area of approximately 40,000 square metres.
Footage released by eyewitnesses shows a huge blaze and a thick plume of black smoke rising above the Kotovsk industrial area.
The Russian authorities claim that during a night-time attack, air defence forces and mobile units shot down a target over the city 16 drones. There is no independent confirmation of this figure.
Wildberries has also confirmed that its logistics facility was struck a second time. The company stated that the warehouse was not receiving any new deliveries at the time of the attack.
Staff have been evacuated; one person has been injured
Following the announcement of the danger, staff at the logistics centre were promptly evacuated.
According to preliminary information from the Russian authorities, One Wildberries employee suffered a concussion as a result of the blast wave. As of this morning, there is no information on casualties from the current attack.
The full extent of the damage to the warehouse is not yet known. Nor has it been reported how many goods may have been inside the damaged part of the complex.
One of Wildberries’ largest logistics centres
Wildberries Logistics Centre The Kotovsk facility is a major regional hub for the marketplace. It was officially opened in May 2025 at the «Kotovsk» Industrial Park.
The complex was developed in two phases: the first covered an area of 61,000 square metres, whilst the second added a further 47,000. The total area of the site is 108,000 square metres.
According to the company itself, once fully operational, the warehouse is designed to store up to 54 million items. In the long term, the automatic three-stage sorting conveyor is capable of processing more than 1.4 million items per day.
Consequently, the current fire, covering an area of 40,000 square metres, has engulfed a significant part of one of the company’s major logistics facilities.
This depot was already attacked in July
This is already The second large-scale attack on the Wildberries hub in Kotovsk in less than a month and a half.
On 18 July, drones struck the same logistics centre. At the time, according to the Russian authorities, Seven workers were killed and a further 23 people were hospitalised.
After dealing with the aftermath of the previous strike, Wildberries announced that the complex would resume accepting deliveries from 23 July. The company later announced that the sorting and dispatch operations at the facility had resumed.
Just over a month later, the site came under attack once again.
As of the morning of 26 August, the fire service and emergency services are still working at the scene. Final details regarding the damage to the complex and the impact of the attack on Wildberries’ operations are still being clarified.
