(KYIV) – Ukraine has launched a massive wave of drone strikes deep into Russian territory, torching a vast Wildberries logistics hub and a major oil refinery, in a strategic campaign designed to collapse the Russian banking system.
Overnight, Ukrainian drones struck the 173,000 square metre Wildberries logistics centre in Ryazan, setting off a blaze that raged for hours. Local residents voiced shock at the absence of air defences, filming drones circling unopposed above the city. The same barrage hit the Ryazan oil refinery, damaging a central processing facility handling 17.1 million tonnes of crude annually.
Ukraine also struck the Lukoil Permnefteorgsintez refinery in the Perm region, Russia’s seventh largest facility located roughly 1,500 kilometres from Ukraine, near the Ural Mountains. The strike hit the AVT-5 unit, capable of processing 5 million tonnes of oil per year.
The assault on Wildberries is a direct attack on Russia’s financial stability. The company is the most indebted in Russia, owing at least 17.8 billion dollars. Denys Shtilerman, co-founder of Ukrainian defence company Firepoint, confirmed the strategic logic: “Wildberries is the biggest borrower in Russia. If we bring it down, it will inevitably lead to the collapse of a huge number of banks, mainly TB.”
VTB, Russia’s second largest bank and the primary creditor for Wildberries, is now being forced by the Russian government to rescue the collapsing retailer. Simultaneously, VTB announced it will lay off 10 percent of its staff and has introduced restrictions on cash withdrawals. Denys Shtilerman noted, “VTB placed its entire bet on Wildberries… And now trillions of rubles in loans will irretrievably be lost.”
With only 25 percent of the network disrupted so far, an estimated 50,000 Wildberries staff have already lost their jobs. More than one million resellers who used the platform are now unable to withdraw their funds after the company blocked access to seller account balances. Wildberries is now reportedly searching for warehouse space in Kazakhstan to escape the reach of Ukrainian drones.
Russia’s agricultural sector is also deteriorating. Farmers in Chelyabinsk reported critical fuel shortages ahead of the harvest season. The cost of harvesting is now three times higher than the market price of grain, leading many farmers to abandon crops. Russian media warned that tens of thousands of farms face bankruptcy, with the price of bread forecast to rise from 45 to 81 rubles.
In Tyumen, a water crisis is intensifying after sewage and animal carcasses contaminated the local river and drinking water supply. Residents described the stench as unbearable, with bottled water vanishing from supermarket shelves and some families fleeing the city.
In Washington, the U.S. Senate advanced a major Russia sanctions bill by an 86 to 12 vote. The legislation would impose 100 percent secondary tariffs on countries buying Russian oil and gas. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy concluded a successful visit, meeting White House officials and top executives from Lockheed Martin to discuss joint weapons production and technology sharing.
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