Russian strike destroys wine retailer's central warehouse – second hit in two months

The central warehouse of Ukrainian wine retailer Okwine and distributor Wine Hunters has been destroyed by a Russian strike – the second time the company's facilities have been hit in under two months, Okwine said on 2 September.

The attack took place on the night of 1-2 September. No employees were injured, the company said in a statement cited by Ukrainska Pravda.

"We have now been hit for the second time in two months, and once again on the night of 1-2 [July and September – ed.]. The new central warehouse of Okwine and Wine Hunters was destroyed in the enemy attack," the company wrote. "Fortunately, no one from our team was injured. We thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Emergency Service, medics and air defence forces, who have been working around the clock over the past few days."

The company added that it had "barely begun to recover from the first strike, bringing in new products and trying to plan for the future, even if only a little, even if just for a week."

The previous reported attack on the wine trade came on the night of 18-19 July, when eight Russian ballistic missiles hit the main product warehouse of Winetime, another wine retailer, completely destroying it. Early estimates put stock losses at UAH 300 million (US$6.7 million); no one was injured then either, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

Okwine did not disclose the warehouse's location, a common practice during wartime to avoid identifying potential targets.

The strike on the wine warehouse is not an isolated attack on civilian commercial infrastructure this week. On 3 September, Russian forces launched two attacks on a warehouse belonging to Teva Ukraine, the Ukrainian arm of the global pharmaceutical company, Ukrainska Pravda reported. In the Kherson oblast, Russian forces attacked a bus carrying civilians, killing and injuring several people, according to local authorities, as reported on 4 September.

These strikes fit a pattern Russia has followed since the start of its full-scale invasion: targeting supply chains, retail storage and other civilian economic assets far from the front line. While the military value of hitting a wine distributor is negligible, the damage to businesses and to Ukraine's economy is real. Each attack forces companies to absorb losses, re-route imports and delay tax revenue – a slow-bleed strategy that complements the destruction of energy infrastructure.

For Ukraine's European partners, the strikes are a reminder that warehousing and logistics networks inside the country remain vulnerable. Western air defence systems protect cities and critical infrastructure, but commercial warehouses are rarely covered. Businesses have tried to adapt by dispersing stock and moving operations to smaller sites, but the repeated targeting – two strikes on wine facilities in two months – suggests Russian reconnaissance is actively tracking these facilities.

Okwine's decision to speak publicly, naming the company and the damage, is part of a broader effort by Ukrainian businesses to document war losses. The government is collecting evidence of attacks on civilian infrastructure for possible future war-crimes cases against Russian commanders.

It is not known whether the company was deliberately singled out or caught in a wider barrage. Okwine said only that the strike occurred "once again on the night of 1-2" – the same dates as the July attack – without giving further details.

As of early September, no further strikes on wine retailers have been reported. But the message to Ukraine's private sector is unambiguous: no facility can be considered safe.