Ukraine targets Wildberries logistics hubs in Russia drone campaign
Ukraine has struck facilities tied to Russia’s largest online retailer as Kyiv broadens pressure on Russian supply chains, CNBC reported.
By Dev Ramirez · Crypto Correspondent
· 3 min read
Ukraine has expanded its drone campaign to logistics sites tied to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, CNBC reported. For investors watching the war’s economic fallout, the attacks point to a broader effort by Kyiv to hit the systems that keep Russian commerce and military supply moving.
Wildberries is often compared with Amazon because it operates a large online marketplace and delivery network across Russia. Founded in 2004, the company employs about 48,000 people, according to CNBC.
Ukrainian Defense Forces struck major logistics centers inside Russia over the past week, including five Wildberries facilities from Saturday through Wednesday, CNBC reported. The attacks follow months of Ukrainian drone strikes aimed at Russian oil depots and refineries.
The target choice matters because logistics hubs are the backbone of e-commerce. They receive goods, sort inventory and move packages through delivery routes. If those sites are damaged, retailers can face delayed shipments, higher costs and lost sales, while suppliers that depend on the network can also take a hit.
Wildberries says facilities were hit
Tatyana Kim, Wildberries’ owner and Russia’s wealthiest woman, said Wednesday on Telegram that company logistics hubs in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions were struck overnight, according to CNBC’s translation of her remarks.
Kim said one person was killed and several others were injured in those attacks. Russian authorities said earlier strikes on the retailer’s warehouses in central Russia four days before killed eight people, CNBC reported.
Kim described the strikes as attacks on employees doing their jobs, while saying the company would continue operating for customers, according to CNBC’s translation of her Telegram post.
Independent foreign policy analyst Jimmy Rushton, who is based in Ukraine, wrote on social media Wednesday that Ukraine had found “a new point of pressure” against Russia. He argued that continued strikes could put severe pressure on Wildberries because of its role in domestic logistics.
Kyiv links the hubs to military supply
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the logistics hubs hit by Ukrainian drones were involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components, navigation equipment and other military parts, CNBC reported.
Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Kyiv-based Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, told CNBC by email that the strikes serve two goals: damaging Russia’s economy and weakening its military-industrial complex. The military-industrial complex means the companies, factories and supply chains that support weapons production and military operations.
Kuzan said damage to the logistics infrastructure hurts Russia’s economy and, through that, the state budget funding the war against Ukraine. He also said Wildberries’ marketplace accounts for about 3% of Russia’s gross domestic product, citing data from Russia’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Gross domestic product is the total value of goods and services produced in an economy.
Kuzan estimated Wildberries’ total losses at about $2.3 billion. He told CNBC that figure is larger than the combined annual budgets of 53 Russian regions and said it could trigger bankruptcies among small- and medium-sized businesses.
Kuzan said the scale of the facilities and their alleged role in both civilian and military supply chains suggest Ukraine may continue this tactic. His view is an assessment, not a confirmed plan from Kyiv.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
