Starting from Aug. 7, voluntary order insurance for sellers on the Russian e-commerce platform Wildberries will cover a new type of risk: damage or loss caused by terrorist attacks, sabotage, and drone strikes. According to the company’s updated terms of service, reviewed by The Insider, fires caused by “falling drone debris” — a euphemism commonly used by Russian authorities when assigning blame after successful Ukrainian attacks — may also be recognized as insured events.
The maximum compensation will be 50,000 rubles (just over $600) per item, but no more than 100,000 rubles ($1,200) for a single insured event. The insurance company will determine the exact payout after a seller files a claim. Up to 14 days are allotted for reviewing the claim and transferring the money.
“As with other risks, insurance coverage applies during delivery, storage at pickup points, and return logistics in the event of a refusal, return, or non-purchase of an order. Charges for this type of insurance are also made once a day as a single total. Nothing changes in financial reports,” the terms say.
Sellers will not be able to receive payouts under the program for unordered goods destroyed in recent strikes on warehouses. Wildberries may separately compensate their value at its own discretion, but sellers cannot receive payment from both the marketplace and the insurance company for the same item.
After expanding coverage, Wildberries increased the cost of insurance. Since Aug. 7, the rate ranges from 1.96% to 5.6% of the item’s price, depending on the category. Previously, the minimum rate was 1.4% and the maximum was 4%.
For sellers already using the service, the rate will change automatically. The fee is charged after each order is placed, regardless of whether the buyer ultimately purchases the item. If the same item is ordered five times but purchased only once, the seller will pay insurance on all five orders.
Wildberries launched its order insurance service in February 2025. During testing, there was a single rate of 1.4% of the item’s value. The rate was later divided by category: 1.4% for electronics and household appliances, 4% for clothing, footwear, and accessories, and 2% for other goods.
Shortly before the wave of Ukrainian strikes began in mid-July, Wildberries added drone attacks, shelling, and explosions to its list of “force majeure” events, allowing the marketplace to avoid liability for lost goods, The Insider reported. The company still promised voluntary partial compensation, but some sellers said the first payouts were far below their losses.
By Aug. 3, the value of destroyed goods was estimated at between 215 billion and 280 billion rubles ($2.6 billion to $3.4 billion). One seller, who lost around 5 million rubles in goods ($61,000), received 1,980 rubles ($24) from Wildberries; another, with losses of 738,000 rubles ($9,000), received about 41,000 rubles ($500).
