Wildberries and Ozon, two of Russia’s largest online marketplaces, wrote sellers out of compensation for war damage

Russian e-commerce platform Ozon has revised its seller agreement to specify that the company will not compensate sellers for goods lost or damaged due to military action, a state of emergency, shelling, mass unrest, or “other similar circumstances.”
Bestseller, Ozon’s marketplace media outlet, reported the change on June 11, but Russian media outlets and Telegram channels did not pick up on it until July 18 — after Ukrainian drones struck warehouses belonging to the online retailer Wildberries in the Moscow and Tambov regions.
The revised terms took effect on June 12. Under the updated agreement, sellers assume the business risk and release Ozon from any claims stemming from, among other things:
- Combat, military, or defense operations
- Martial law
- Mass unrest
- The launch, use, impact, hit, or fall of unmanned aerial vehicles for any purpose
- Weapons fire of any kind
In early July, Wildberries similarly added a clause to its seller agreement freeing the marketplace from liability if it fails to meet its obligations during a drone attack. Those terms took effect on July 7.
On July 18, Wildberries chief executive Tatyana Kim, commenting on the drone strikes that hit the marketplace’s warehouses, reminded sellers that the company is not obligated to compensate them for lost goods but added that the marketplace is “working out” how much to pay sellers and what other financial support it might offer.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.

Facts Only

Ozon revised its seller agreement on June 12 to exclude compensation for lost or damaged goods resulting from military action, state of emergency, shelling, mass unrest, or similar circumstances.
The updated agreement requires sellers to assume business risk and release Ozon from claims related to: combat, military, or defense operations, martial law, mass unrest, the launch, use, impact, hit, or fall of unmanned aerial vehicles for any purpose, and weapons fire.
Wildberries added a clause to its seller agreement on July 7 releasing the marketplace from liability during drone attacks if obligations are unmet.
On July 18, Wildberries CEO Tatyana Kim stated that the company is not obligated to compensate sellers for lost goods but is working out compensation amounts and other financial support.

Executive Summary

Online marketplaces Wildberries and Ozon have revised their seller agreements to exclude compensation for goods lost or damaged due to military action, state of emergency, shelling, mass unrest, or similar circumstances. Ozon updated its agreement on June 12, shifting the assumption of business risk to sellers regarding events like combat operations, martial law, and the use or impact of unmanned aerial vehicles. Separately, Wildberries added similar liability release clauses in July following drone strikes, freeing the marketplaces from responsibility during such incidents. While this shift transfers risk from the platforms to the sellers concerning wartime damage, Ozon confirmed in July that it is currently determining the financial support it will offer sellers.

Full Take

The restructuring of platform liability in response to conflict introduces a structural shift in risk allocation between commerce platforms and sellers. The move to explicitly place the burden of wartime risk onto the seller, rather than absorbing it as the platform, reflects an institutional attempt to insulate commercial entities from direct responsibility during volatile events. This operational change is underscored by the reporting lag concerning information dissemination—details regarding these contractual shifts were known internally before public awareness solidified following specific incidents like drone strikes. The pattern observed is a mechanism where legal and commercial terms are rapidly adjusted in response to emergent, high-stress conditions, prioritizing risk mitigation over immediate redress for affected parties. This raises questions about the resilience of established marketplace contracts when confronted by systemic instability, and whether this practice ultimately serves the interests of the platform or the individual seller navigating uncertainty. What mechanisms exist beyond contractual release to ensure equitable compensatory support during protracted periods of conflict? How do these localized legal adjustments fit into broader international norms regarding digital commerce responsibility?

Sentinel — Human

Confidence

This text exhibits characteristics of factual reporting layered with internal editorial context, making it highly likely to be human-authored journalism rather than synthetic generation.

Signals Detected

Sentence length variance is varied; the structure flows naturally, though some transitions are abrupt.

The text successfully connects disparate events (platform changes, media reporting, specific dates) into a narrative flow that reflects real-world complexity.

Specific timeline details (June 11, July 18, June 12, July 7) suggest factual anchoring rather than pure fabrication.

The inclusion of a direct disclosure about AI use within the article itself suggests a layered, human-mediated context (likely a news organization policy disclosure).

Human Indicators

The embedding of a transparency statement about their use of AI indicates an editorial process and responsibility, which is characteristic of human journalistic output.

The specific focus on delayed media reporting (June 11 vs. July 18) demonstrates an awareness of real-world information flow and latency.