Kazakhstan urges local shopping over Wildberries after drone attacks on Russian warehouses

Kazakhstan's Trade Minister Arman Shakkaliyev urged citizens to buy from local marketplaces instead of Russian Wildberries, whose warehouses are being attacked by Ukrainian drones. Shakkaliyev cited "economic patriotism" and delivery reliability, advising local sellers to consider supply and storage risks. About 200 of 300 Kazakh e-commerce association members were affected, with damages estimated at 1.6 billion tenge, though the minister called this figure conditional. Wildberries has not requested additional warehouse space in Kazakhstan, but is building two logistics centers in Astana and Almaty, totaling over 260,000 square meters, with completion expected by the first quarter of 2027.