Wildberries is purchasing nearly half million square metres of metal mesh following drone attacks
Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, has announced a tender for the purchase of 478,000 square metres of galvanised metal mesh for the eight regions where the company’s logistics centres are located. This area is equivalent to approximately 67 standard football pitches.
This is reported by the Russian media, according to Censor.NET.
As noted, the tender was published in early August. The purpose of the procurement is not specified in the tender documents themselves; however, a source at the industrial enterprise speaking to Russian media suggested that the netting is intended to protect warehouses from attacks by drones.
According to the bids submitted by tender participants, one square metre of the material costs between 154 and 474 roubles. Consequently, the total cost of the procurement could range from 73.6 million to 226.5 million roubles.
The request states that the wire diameter must not exceed 2.5 mm, and that the material must be supplied within a week.
According to Russian journalists, another Wildberries tender – for the purchase of silica fabric for 14 of the company’s sites – also points to the possible installation of additional protection against drone attacks. This material can withstand prolonged exposure to temperatures of up to 1,000–1,200 degrees and can be used as a fire barrier.
According to Russian media reports, since mid-July at least 22 large Wildberries warehouses have come under attack, some of which were completely destroyed. As of 17 August, the total area of warehouse premises that had been burnt down or taken out of service may have reached around 2.4 million square metres, or 43 per cent of the company’s total capacity.
Wildberries’s losses from drone attacks are estimated at 100–200 billion roubles.
