On Wednesday Morning (local time), Ukraine carried out another large drone attack targeting warehouses belonging to the Russian online retailing company Wildberries. According to reports, Ukraine struck two more large warehouses in this morning’s attack, one in Krasnodar and one in Nevinnomyssk. Attacks come as Ukraine intensifies its drone attacks to hamper Russia’s economy, which now appears to be shifting towards the consumer economy. The goal of these strikes is to worsen Russia’s economic situation to the point where the Kremlin is forced to concede the war in Ukraine from a position of weakness. Unfortunately, the campaign has yet to achieve its desired outcome and may, as some expect, produce the opposite outcome.
More Warehouses in Russia Struck
Putin May 2018 Meeting Creative Commons Photo
Putin in 2025 Government Meeting Creative Commons Photo
Wildberries is the largest of several online retail companies in Russia, often compared with Amazon in the United States. The company provides goods for both regular consumers and smaller businesses. According to Ukraine, however, the company also provides drones and other military components for the Russian Armed Forces. On social media, Zelensky stated that the warehouses were logistics centers for the Russian Army and were responsible for distributing military equipment to the front lines as well. The Kremlin has, of course, denied the claims that Wildberries handles any military equipment and accused Kyiv of committing acts of terrorism.
According to preliminary reports, one person was killed by the attack, with several more injured. Tatiyana Kim, the co-founder and CEO of Wildberries, condemned the attacks against her company’s warehouses. “The attack by Ukraine on civilian infrastructure, ordinary citizens, and our employees is an act of international terrorism,” she said in an interview with Russian media. Kim also said that she was working to ensure that small companies reliant on deliveries from Wildberries are compensated for their loss. While the company’s warehouses are insured, smaller businesses that buy from Wildberries are not covered if their products are destroyed by “terrorist attacks.” In Moscow, an e-commerce lobby AUREK, is currently petitioning the government for tax delays for companies that have been affected by Ukrainian drone attacks.
Why Ukraine is Targeting Wildberries
There are two main reasons why Ukraine is now targeting Wildberries. First, Ukraine has been broadening its war effort against the Russian economy. It has already targeted some of the largest fuel refineries across the country, causing an ongoing fuel shortage. Next, it attacked Russian-bound ships in the Sea of Azov, some of which were part of Russia’s “shadow fleet,” and others were just regular cargo ships carrying supplies in and out of the country. Targeting the civilian consumer economy is the logical next step in Ukraine’s ladder of escalation. In June, Zelenskyy announced that he had approved a 40-day campaign to “influence the enemy” into pursuing peace. Attacks on warehouses, military or otherwise, appear to be a part of that campaign.
Another reason for these attacks is to demonstrate not only to Moscow, but to Kyiv’s Western partners that Ukraine is capable of sustaining long-range operations against Moscow. In other words, it’s advertising. While that may sound rather cynical, Ukraine needs Western assistance to maintain its war effort against Moscow. Manufacturing and launching drones, while cheaper than building cruise missiles, is still an expensive undertaking, especially as Russia tries to destroy Ukraine’s industrial base. Striking targets deep behind enemy lines, even if they’re of limited military value, still inspires confidence in Ukraine’s ability to sustain a long-range air campaign against the Kremlin. To put it slightly more cynically, it’s an operation to convince donors to donate even more money.
Opening a Dangerous Can of Worms
Strikes against civilian warehouses are not new. In recent weeks, Russia has struck several warehouses belonging to Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s equivalent of UPS. Moscow has also struck several warehouses it claims are logistics centers used to make, assemble, and distribute drones to the front lines. Arguably, Moscow brought these new rounds of attacks upon itself. Both sides are playing with fire as the war expands in scale and intensity.
The more warehouses that Ukraine strikes, the more likely Russia is to respond in kind. When Kyiv began striking Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov, Russia responded with daily bombardments on Odesa, and now shipping companies are suspending their operations to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.
One has to wonder whether this is really the best use of Ukraine’s limited resources. While the attacks on Wildberries warehouses have affected smaller businesses, the average citizens, Reuters notes, are relatively unaffected and unfazed by the attacks so far. Despite claims that the warehouses were used for military logistics (which they may well have been to a certain degree), the actual military value of Wildberries to the Russian Army likely isn’t very high.
Rather, what this indicates is that the war in Ukraine is rapidly escalating to the point where both sides are trying to strangle each other as quickly as possible. Recent strikes are no longer about pure military value; instead, they aim to destroy the will and morale of the other side. This is a frightening prospect, as the longer the war continues, the more civilians are going to find themselves in the crosshairs.
About the Author: Isaac Seitz
Isaac Seitz, a Defense Columnist, graduated from Patrick Henry College’s Strategic Intelligence and National Security program. He has also studied Russian at Middlebury Language Schools and has worked as an intelligence Analyst in the private sector.
