Ukrainian long-range drones have struck eight warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer and its closest equivalent to Amazon, starting from July 18. These sites reportedly account for over 10 percent of the company’s total storage capacity. The affected locations include a hub in Elektrostal, east of Moscow; a distribution center in Kotovsk, located in the Tambov region; facilities in Krasnodar and Stavropol; two logistics centers near St. Petersburg; and a site in occupied Crimea.
Regional officials in Russia report at least nine deaths and over 70 injuries from recent attacks, with economic damages estimated at 100 billion roubles ($1.3 billion) and restoration costs at 35.8 billion roubles. Wildberries announced that over 88,000 sellers are affected, declaring force majeure and granting loan deferrals while paying compensation in installments. Founder Tatyana Kim labeled the strikes as “terrible events for our company and our country.” President Zelensky confirmed the attacks, accusing Wildberries of transporting banned components for drones. The Russian government has branded this campaign as terrorism, with one manufacturer reporting a loss of 12,000 items, about 45% of her stock.
Source: Reuters, The Moscow Times, CNN, Bloomberg
So What
The dual-use rationale is not unreasonable. Large e-commerce logistics networks are precisely the type of infrastructure capable of moving sanctioned electronics on a large scale, although public evidence supporting this is limited. However, a more obvious impact is economic. These strikes shift the cost of the war onto Russia’s small-business class, which has largely been insulated from the conflict until now, and this appears to be a deliberate strategy rather than a mere coincidence. Regardless, whether this will generate political pressure on the Kremlin is much less certain. Historically, such pressure is more likely to strengthen domestic opinion rather than break it.
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