Ruslan Shostak, co-owner of the Varus and EVA retail chains, explained on Facebook why the destruction of 2.1 million square meters of warehouse space does not mean the collapse of Ukrainian logistics, and urged people not to panic over rumors of shortages and isolated photos of empty shelves. This was reported by Dengi.ua.
How Many Warehouses Have Actually Been Destroyed
Claims have begun circulating in the media that up to 90% of Ukraine’s warehouse infrastructure has been destroyed. Ruslan Shostak called these statements manipulative and said they play into the enemy’s hands, citing actual industry figures.
Since the start of the full-scale war, 2.1 million square meters of Class A and B+ warehouses have been destroyed, of which 1.5 million square meters were located in the Kyiv region (including 900,000 square meters since the beginning of 2026).
At the same time, the market’s total capacity looked different:
- by the start of the invasion, the stock of Class A and B warehouses totaled approximately 4.2 million square meters;
- during the war, an additional 800,000 square meters of new space was commissioned;
- of the total volume of about 5 million square meters, 2.1 million square meters were destroyed, while 2.9 million square meters continue to operate (more than half of the high-class capacity);
- the warehouse stock of industrial enterprises across the country adds tens of millions of square meters of other categories to this total.
At the current rate of attacks, it would take Russia decades to destroy 90% of Ukraine’s industrial capacity—even if Ukraine were to completely halt reconstruction and new construction.
Will There Be a Shortage of Goods in Stores?
The businessman acknowledged that strikes on retail outlets and logistics hubs remain severe blows, but urged citizens not to stockpile goods. There will be no systemic shortage: the market quickly replaces lost links in the chain.
It takes no more than two weeks to restructure the supply chain of an affected retail chain. If a specific store is destroyed, another one opens in its place, and products from a temporarily unavailable brand are replaced by alternative manufacturers. The only real inconvenience for shoppers is the temporary need to choose a different brand or visit a neighboring supermarket.
Major Systemic Challenges for Ukrainian Business
The key threat to retailers and large enterprises lies in the economic, rather than the logistical, realm:
- the lack of effective insurance against war risks;
- a shortage of affordable, preferential lending programs to enable large players to scale up and recover quickly.
According to Shostak’s assessment, the relevant ministries should focus on creating viable financial and insurance instruments for large businesses, without which maintaining economic stability amid regular shocks will become critically difficult.
