Ukraine targets Russia’s economy and morale with drone strikes on Wildberries warehouses

Over the past month, Ukraine has utilized long-range drones to strike approximately 20 warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer. The attacks, spanning from Moscow and St. Petersburg to the Ural Mountains, have destroyed billions of dollars worth of merchandise and crippled the logistics network of a company that handles roughly half of all online orders in Russia. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, seven of the company’s ten largest logistics centers have been knocked out of operation.

Analysts suggest that beyond military objectives, these strikes are intended to undermine public confidence and exert economic pressure on the Russian banking system. Wildberries, often described as Russia’s Amazon, expanded through massive loans from banks such as VTB and now faces potential difficulties in debt repayment. Tatyana Kim, the company’s owner, stated that defensive measures have been reinforced, yet the attacks persist.

The strikes have caused significant losses for hundreds of thousands of small sellers who rely on the Wildberries platform for distribution. While Kim has pledged support for sellers, many small businesses are now facing the threat of bankruptcy. Ukrainian officials have alleged that these warehouses were also used to supply military gear and drone components, a claim Moscow denies.

Mark Galeotti, a Russia expert, suggests that Kyiv’s strategy is to bring the reality of the war home to ordinary Russian citizens. Conversely, some pro-Kremlin analysts warn that these actions could fuel stronger anti-Ukrainian and anti-Western sentiment, potentially providing a pretext for Russia to escalate the conflict.