Wildberries plans to buy 478,000 sqm of steel mesh, possibly to shield warehouses from drones

Wildberries, a major Russian e-commerce platform, announced a procurement drive for 478,000 square metres of galvanized steel mesh, enough to cover the area of 67 soccer fields. The request, issued in early August, targets logistics facilities in eight Russian regions, though the tender omitted details on the mesh's purpose. An insider at an industrial firm indicated the mesh might be intended to encircle warehouses as a defensive measure against Ukrainian drone attacks, citing its effectiveness and minimal regulatory hurdles.

Bids have arrived from contractors in only three of the eight regions, with unit prices between 154 and 474 rubles. Based on these offers, the overall expenditure could fall between 73.6 million and 226.5 million rubles.