(MOSCOW) – Ukraine has struck around 20 warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer and equivalent to Amazon, in a three week campaign designed to bring the economic cost of the war directly to ordinary Russian consumers.
Sky News data and forensics analysis has identified approximately 20 Wildberries sites hit by Ukrainian drones in the past three weeks. Several of the sites are located hundreds of kilometres from the front line.
Entire warehouses of stock have been destroyed. A vast logistics network has been severely disrupted. Tens of thousands of small businesses across Russia are now feeling the economic consequences.
Entrepreneurs who rely on Wildberries to sell their products online have taken to social media to share their losses. One seller, Anna, said: “We have lost a lot of products. We will not be receiving any compensation. We are having to lay off staff and give up our leased space.”
Another affected business owner stated: “We lost not only the goods but also the money we invested because no compensation will be provided. This is incredibly stressful. I hope I have the strength, courage, and resilience to overcome it.”
Millions of customers have also been affected. Deliveries to the company’s pickup points have been disrupted across the country.
On the streets of Moscow, public reaction has been mixed. One resident expressed sympathy for the affected businesses. “I feel sorry for the entrepreneurs and Wildberries. Everyone will have problems. Everyone is actively supporting them, making orders. I think they will cope,” the resident said.
Another Muscovite described the strikes as “barbaric” and said: “People are dying. I am not worried about the goods, only that people are dying. Again, people are dying. It is terrible. It is a tragedy for our country.”
At least 13 people have been killed in the strikes. The founder of Wildberries has described the attacks as acts of terrorism.
Ukraine denies targeting civilians. Kyiv accuses the company of supporting Moscow’s invasion by storing and supplying drone components and other military equipment. Both the Kremlin and Wildberries deny the claims.
The campaign represents a deliberate Ukrainian strategy to bring the war closer to home for ordinary Russians. The consumer economy is being consumed by the conflict, and the strikes show no sign of stopping. The cost of Russia’s war continues to mount, extending from the battlefield to the shopping basket.
(Footage and analysis of the strikes were compiled and published by Sky News.)
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