Wildberries says Ukraine’s drone strikes are force majeure. Does that actually get the marketplace off the hook in Russia?

Ukrainian drones have struck eleven of Wildberries' warehouses since mid-July, burning inventory and costing sellers millions of rubles. Meduza reports that Wildberries is claiming force majeure—a legal exception for events beyond a company's control—and updated its seller agreement just eleven days before the first strikes to exempt itself from any liability. While the marketplace did offer some relief to affected sellers, it came several days later and fell far short of actual losses. The insurance situation compounds the problem: Wildberries' own coverage doesn't protect goods in storage, and outside insurers are rapidly writing drone-strike exclusions into their policies. According to Meduza, sellers are left with a stark choice: move inventory out of the warehouses or absorb the risk.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton