Fake reports claiming the Ministry of Industry and Trade required companies to share military warehouse data have spread online. The claims alleged that information on facilities storing military products and dual-use goods subsequently leaked, leading to strikes on several locations and prompting companies to file complaints against the ministry with the Investigative Committee of Russia.
Official figures and Russian leadership refuted assertions that civilian logistics facilities, such as distribution centers for major marketplaces, are used to store or supply military goods. On July 21, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that warehouses belonging to the country's largest marketplace do not supply items for the Russian army, noting that Kyiv continues to attack civilian targets.
Bogdan Bezpalko, a member of the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations, also pointed out that online store warehouses are not military facilities. War correspondent Alexander Kots noted that the Ukrainian side uses fake claims about military cargo as cover, adding that under such logic any location from a post office to a pharmacy becomes a target, allowing attackers to avoid explaining why shrapnel hit female warehouse workers.
Document errors and discrepancies
The fake claims were circulated alongside photos of an alleged Ministry order numbered 9848/25 and complaints supposedly sent to federal investigators by a Russian marketplace, transport company PITERAVTO, and Warm House SM. However, no such document exists on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Investigative Committee website lists no records of checks on the matter.
The documents also contain several timeline and numerical errors. The fake ministry paper is dated July 29, 2026, while the PITERAVTO complaint to investigators is dated July 5, 2026, meaning the complaint was written before the company received the request. Furthermore, the PITERAVTO complaint references request number 9834/25 dated July 22, which is also not published on the ministry website, rather than number 9848/25 shown in the fake news images.
The creators of the fake appear to have used an unrelated forged document to fabricate the story. That document is titled Measures to preserve human resource potential and control production load and makes no mention of military warehouse data. It instead names industrial firms JSC Serov Mechanical Plant, PJSC Motovilikha Plants, and JSC VNII Signal rather than commercial marketplaces.
An additional discrepancy involves the official who allegedly signed the order. The photo attached to the fake news lists A. A. Peregudov, Director of the Department of Defense-Industrial Complex, while the text of the message names N. V. Kuznetsov, Director of the Department for Internal Trade Development.
Regional denials and media coverage
The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Zaporozhye Region confirmed that a letter distributed on social networks in its name is a forgery. Regional officials stated that the document is unofficial, contains false information, and provides an invalid email address for replies.
The fake story failed to gain traction across Russian media outlets. The fact-checking platform Lapsha Media assisted in preparing the report debunking the claims.
