---
title: "\"Destroying all warehouses is impossible\": Varus assesses the scale of damage to Ukraine's logistics infrastructure"
description: "According to the co-owner of the Varus chain, 2.1 million square meters of Class A and B+ warehouses have been destroyed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and complete destruction of the infrastructure at the current pace of attacks would take decades."
date: 2026-09-11T07:32:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/varus-ukraine-warehouses-destruction-russia-attacks
tags: [ukraine, warehouses, logistics, varus, russia-attacks, retail]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Destroying all warehouses is impossible": Varus assesses the scale of damage to Ukraine's logistics infrastructure

![Destroyed warehouse after a fire: a fire aerial platform extinguishes the burnt logistics infrastructure of Ukraine](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/11/varus-ukraina-sklady-razrushenie-ataka-rossii/varus-ukraina-sklady-razrushenie-ataka-rossii-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, 2.1 million square meters of Class A and B+ warehouses have been destroyed, of which 1.5 million square meters are in Kyiv Oblast.
- Of approximately 5 million square meters of top-class warehouses, 2.9 million square meters remain in operation, that is, more than half.
- At the current intensity of attacks and a complete absence of reconstruction, the complete destruction of most warehouses would take decades.
- Shostak urged not to stockpile goods, stating that no shortage is expected.

Russian strikes on Ukraine's logistics infrastructure continue to be one of the key factors pressuring the country's food and trade system. Ruslan Shostak, co-owner of the Varus grocery chain, in a Facebook post referenced by RBC-Ukraine, attempted to systematize the actual losses of warehouse capacity and explain why completely destroying most warehouses at the current intensity of attacks would take the enemy decades — and even then only in a hypothetical scenario where warehouse reconstruction in Ukraine is fully halted.

### Scale of warehouse infrastructure losses

According to Shostak, since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, 2.1 million square meters of Class A and B+ warehouse space have been destroyed. A significant portion of these losses falls on Kyiv Oblast — about 1.5 million square meters. The particular acuteness of the situation is underscored by the dynamics of recent months: since the beginning of 2026, another 900,000 square meters of warehouse space have been destroyed, indicating that the high intensity of strikes on logistics facilities is being maintained.

### How many warehouses remain in operation

At the start of the war, the total area of Ukrainian Class A and B warehouses was estimated at approximately 4.2 million square meters. In addition, since the start of the war, another 800,000 square meters have been put into operation, bringing the total volume to about 5 million square meters. Of this amount, 2.1 million square meters have been destroyed, while 2.9 million square meters remain in operation — meaning that more than half of the top-class warehouses are still in use. Shostak also clarifies that if warehouse space at large enterprises across the country is taken into account, the total volume of infrastructure will be significantly larger, reaching tens of millions of square meters of various classes.

### Why complete destruction would take decades

The businessman's key conclusion is that at the current pace of Russian attacks, completely destroying most warehouse capacity would take the enemy decades, and only in the case where warehouse reconstruction in the country is fully stopped. In some publications, this estimate was phrased as requiring around ten years to destroy 90% of food warehouses, however Shostak himself emphasizes that this is precisely a projection into the future, not a description of the current state of infrastructure.

### Impact on retail chains and an appeal to shoppers

Separately, Shostak commented on the consequences of the strikes for retail chains. "It is bitter to admit, but what is happening now is a real tragedy. And if anyone wants to support their favorite chain — come. Make your purchases. This is the best support in the current reality," he wrote. At the same time, the businessman urged Ukrainians not to create a panic and not to stockpile goods, noting that no shortage is expected in the country: if a needed item is not available in one store, it can be found in another. A reminder of the vulnerability of retail facilities was the nighttime shelling of Kyiv on September 8, as a result of which a Varus supermarket in the Solomianskyi district was destroyed: part of the structure collapsed, debris was scattered around the building, and a large crater formed nearby.

### Contradictory data

Publications by different outlets show discrepancies in wording. Some headlines (including in materials referencing the words of the founder of Varus) operate with the figure of "90% of warehouses" and a timeframe of "10 years," which may be read as a statement about the current level of destruction. However, in other materials, in particular in a publication titled "Not 90%," the co-owner of Varus and EVA directly corrects this narrative, naming the actual scale of destruction. According to Shostak's factual figures, of approximately 5 million square meters of top-class warehouses, 2.1 million square meters have been destroyed — that is, about 42%, not 90%. Thus, "90%" and "decades" should be considered a hypothetical projection of how long it would take to reach such a level of destruction if the current pace of attacks is maintained and there is no reconstruction at all, rather than a statement of losses already incurred.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- ["Destroying all warehouses is impossible": Varus explained why Russia would need decades](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/znishchiti-vsi-skladi-nemozhlivo-varus-poyasnili-1789111683.html) - Базовый источник: цифры по 2,1 млн кв. м уничтоженных складов, 1,5 млн в Киевской области, 900 тыс. с начала 2026 г., общий объём ~5 млн кв. м и призыв не скупать товары впрок.
- [Russia would need 10 years to destroy 90% of food warehouses — VARUS founder](https://zn.ua/ECONOMICS/rossii-ponadobitsja-10-let-chtoby-unichtozhit-90-prodovolstvennykh-skladov-osnovatel-varus.html) - Формулировка «10 лет / 90%» соответствует проекции на будущее, а не текущему уровню разрушений; согласуется с логикой Шостака о десятилетиях при остановке восстановления.
- [At the current intensity of Russian attacks, it would take decades to destroy 90% of Ukrainian ...](https://ukrrudprom.com/news/Pri_nineshney_intensivnosti_atak_Rossii_ponadobyatsya_desyatiletiya_chtobi_unichtogit_90_ukrainskih_skladov.html) - Подтверждает тезис о десятилетиях при текущей интенсивности атак и гипотетическом полном уничтожении 90% складов.
- [Not 90%. Co-owner of EVA and Varus named the actual scale of warehouse destruction in Ukraine](https://biz.nv.ua/consmarket/skladskaya-infrastruktura-ukrainy-poteri-i-tekushchee-sostoyanie-logistiki-v-2026-godu-50640438.html) - Корректирует нарратив про «90%»: реальный уровень уничтожения складов высших классов составляет около 42% (2,1 из ~5 млн кв. м), что учтено в блоке «Противоречивые данные».

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: How many warehouses have been destroyed in Ukraine since the start of the war?
**A:** According to Ruslan Shostak, co-owner of Varus, 2.1 million square meters of Class A and B+ warehouses have been destroyed, of which about 1.5 million square meters fall on Kyiv Oblast, and 900,000 square meters — already since the beginning of 2026.

### Q: Has the majority of warehouses remained in operation?
**A:** Yes. Of approximately 5 million square meters of top-class warehouses, 2.9 million square meters remain in operation, that is, more than half; plus tens of millions of square meters of warehouses of large enterprises across the country.

### Q: Is it true that 90% of warehouses have already been destroyed?
**A:** No. The figure of "90%" in some headlines is a projection of how long it would take to reach such a level of destruction at the current pace of attacks and a complete absence of reconstruction. In fact, about 42% of top-class warehouses have been destroyed.

### Q: Is a shortage of goods expected?
**A:** Shostak stated that no shortage is expected, and urged not to stockpile goods: if a needed item is not available in one store, it can be found in another.