January 16, 2024

Wildberries: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire


Wildberries: Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Wildberries's warehouse near St. Petersburg on fire. Interfaks, Telegram

In the early hours of January 13, a fire erupted in St. Petersburg at a 100,000m2 (more than 1 million ft2) warehouse belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries. All the merchandise inside was burned, costing billions of roubles in damages.

At 7 a.m., stored household chemicals on the first block of the facility caught on fire. Warehouse guards attempted to surveil the 1,800 employees as they evacuated, but they were overpowered by a stampede.

No casualties were reported. Over 270 firefighters and 57 ladder trucks were able to contain the flames a few hours later. Forbes estimated that the damages caused by the fire ranged between R10-20 billion ($113,688,040 to $227,376,080).

English teacher Tatyana Bakalchuk founded Wildberries while on maternity leave in 2004. The online retailer has since expanded to a billion-dollar company delivering products ranging from clothes, electronics, and household supplies to over 18 countries, including the US, Israel, the EU, and former Soviet countries. However, the company was sanctioned by Ukraine in 2021. That same year the company invested R3 billion ($34 million) constructing one of its largest warehouses, near St. Petersburg.

On January 10, a fight between an Azerbaijani and a Tajikistani citizen broke out near the warehouse. The 33-year-old Azerbaijani was hospitalized with knife wounds, and the 35-year-old from Tajikistan was subsequently arrested. On January 11 and 12, authorities raided the Wildberries warehouse and arrested five employees for violating immigration law. Authorities are investigating whether arson was committed in connection with these incidents.

According to state news agency TASS, however, a cable malfunction was to blame for the fire. The St. Petersburg State Construction Authority noted that Wildberries had received permission to build the warehouse but had not applied for a permit to run the facility. On January 12, a pipe broke and flooded an area of the warehouse. Furthermore, the fire alarm had gone off multiple times the day before the incident and was disconnected. The media outlet RBK also speculated that careless handling of the fire could have led to the burning down of the warehouse.

On January 14, prosecutors began a criminal investigation for "abuse of authority" against unidentified employees in charge of fire safety compliance at the warehouse.

Wildberries said it would refund all buyers and compensate sellers for items lost in the flames.

You Might Also Like

Long, Long Repair
  • December 17, 2023

Long, Long Repair

It can take up to a year to get auto parts in Russia, due to Western sanctions.
Occupation Is Expensive
  • December 03, 2023

Occupation Is Expensive

An independent Russian news outlet reported that Russia is worse off economically because of its actions in Ukraine since 2013.
No Money, Only War
  • March 29, 2023

No Money, Only War

Russian authorities blame the "special military operation" for the disruption of infrastructural and social projects.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955