The ongoing war in Ukraine is having devastating consequences for small businesses as Russian attacks hit warehouses and industrial areas. An independent, Kyiv-based eveningwear startup called Cili Nochi lost its entire new collection when a Russian missile struck and destroyed a logistics and customs facility near Kyiv in July, one of several recent attacks that have targeted major logistics hubs and infrastructure.
Cili Nochi co-founder Anastasia Bobrovska said the brand’s High Summer collection had been prepared for shipment to a New York warehouse. Items were in transit and being held at the facility, owned by shipping company Nova Poshta, when the attack occurred.
“At first, we were trying to understand whether any part of the shipment might have survived, but we were eventually told that the collection had burned and that nothing could be recovered,” she said in a WhatsApp exchange with Modern Retail.
Cili Nochi’s loss is just one example of how Russian attacks on Ukraine’s postal and logistics facilities are disrupting the country’s supply chain operations and the many businesses that rely on it. A social media post from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the wake of an August 5 strike confirmed that at least 17 people died. He also said that the spate of attacks has hit places like a brewing company and civilian logistics buildings. “The main purpose of the attack was the warehouse premises of civil enterprises; there were also strikes on the infrastructure, the railway station,” he said.
