Advertisements for the Russian online marketplace Wildberries, which has been sanctioned by the United States, Poland and Ukraine, have appeared on Batumi’s municipal buses. The buses are operated by Batumi Autotransport, a company owned by Batumi City Hall.
Batumelebi contacted Batumi Autotransport to ask why advertisements for a Russian sanctioned company had been placed on municipal buses and how long they would remain there.
The company said that advertising space on municipal buses has been leased to the advertising company Alma, which effectively holds a monopoly over Batumi’s outdoor advertising market.
“The content of advertisements is not coordinated with us,” Batumi Autotransport told Batumelebi.
The company could not provide information on how many buses display Wildberries advertisements or how long the campaign will last.
Municipal bus in Batumi, with advertisement of Wildberries
On 27 July, Batumelebi photographed several municipal buses carrying Wildberries advertisements in Batumi.
We also contacted Alma, asking:
- when Wildberries approached the company to purchase advertising;
- how long the advertisements will remain on Batumi buses;
- how much revenue from the sanctioned company is paid into Batumi’s municipal budget; and
- whether working with Wildberries could create legal or reputational risks, given that the company has been sanctioned for assisting the Kremlin’s war effort in Ukraine by facilitating supplies of military-related goods.
Initially, Alma said it would comment on the matter, but later stopped responding to Batumelebi‘s calls.
Batumi City Hall provided the following written response:
“The content of advertising materials is not coordinated with the municipality. At the same time, the company is obliged to comply with the requirements established by Georgia’s Law on Advertising.
If there are grounds to believe that legal provisions have been violated, the Municipal Inspection reacts within the scope of its authority.
The municipality has no other legal mechanism or competence under the current legislation.”
We asked City Hall to clarify what constitutes “grounds for a legal violation” under the law and whether existing legislation restricts cooperation with companies that are under international sanctions.
We also asked whether, if the municipality does not interfere with advertising content, it would allow Alma to place banners on municipal buses reading, for example, “Freedom for the regime’s prisoners” or “Freedom for prisoners of conscience.”
City Hall did not answer these questions, instead replying: “Please address these questions to Alma.”
Wildberries and International Sanctions
Wildberries is Russia’s largest online marketplace. Over the past several days, Ukrainian forces have reportedly struck the company’s facilities in Russia, with offices hit in Moscow, St Petersburg and other cities.
Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Wildberries was sanctioned by the United States, Poland and Ukraine for assisting Russia’s war effort.
Despite these sanctions, the platform has continued to be used as a channel for selling goods that are officially prohibited from entering Russia but nevertheless reach Wildberries warehouses through third countries.
The marketplace openly sells drones, thermal imaging devices, body armour, tactical clothing and communications equipment.
Over the past year, Wildberries has aggressively expanded into Georgia, opening numerous offices, particularly in Tbilisi and Batumi.
Wildberries office on Lermontovi Street, Batumi, Georgia
The company was founded by Tatyana Kim, one of Russia’s wealthiest women. However, in the summer of 2024, Wildberries merged with Russia’s largest outdoor advertising operator, Russ Group, creating a new company called RVB (РВБ).
Kim owns 65% of the new company, while the remaining 35% belongs to Stuns, a company linked to the Mirzoyan brothers. According to Western media outlets, including Forbes and The Bell, Russian President Vladimir Putin personally supported the merger as part of a broader effort to create Russian alternatives to Amazon and the Western SWIFT financial system that could help Moscow circumvent sanctions.
Wildberries office on Parnavaz Mepe Street, Batumi, Georgia
Investigations have shown that Wildberries has become one of the main platforms through which Russian soldiers, volunteers and private donors supply the front lines with equipment, including drones.
The platform continues to offer drones, thermal imaging devices, body armour, tactical gear and communications equipment for sale.
Even under sanctions, Wildberries has reportedly remained a channel through which goods that should no longer enter Russia officially still reach the country via third countries.
Rapid Expansion Across Georgia
Over the past year, the sanctioned company has rapidly expanded its operations across Georgia.
Using Google Maps, Batumelebi verified the locations of Wildberries offices.
At present, around 20 offices belonging to the company can be found in Batumi, although the actual number may be higher. Across Georgia, Batumelebi identified at least 100 locations listed on Google Maps.
Wildberries office in Georgia. Google Map
One of the Batumi offices operates from a property owned by Teimuraz Komakhidze, the son-in-law of Aslan Abashidze, the former head of the Adjara government who fled to Russia.
The offices do not appear particularly busy. Batumelebi visited several locations, many of which contain minimal furniture. Some resemble massage parlours rather than logistics centres, and there was little visible customer activity.
For this reason, it is not possible to determine precisely what operations the company’s Batumi offices are conducting.
According to Google Maps, Wildberries has more than 50 branches in Tbilisi, as well as offices in smaller cities including Kvareli, Rustavi, Marneuli, Senaki, Poti and Kutaisi. Most branches are located in central urban areas.
Wildberries Trademark Holder in Georgia
According to Georgia’s Public Registry, the Wildberries trademark in Georgia is used by LLC Transcom Group, whose sole owner is 30-year-old Sergi Tvalchrelidze.
One of Transcom Group’s registered land plots in Rustavi: a 23,417 sq m site near the 17th kilometre of the Tbilisi–Red Bridge road.
In 2026, the company registered three land plots:
- 23,417 square metres in Rustavi, registered on 13 January;
- 23,180 square metres in the village of Gamardjveba, Gardabani Municipality;
- 27,743 square metres in the village of Krtsanisi.
Public records also show that in 2025, Sergi Tvalchrelidze donated 30,000 GEL to the ruling Georgian Dream party.
