Attacks on ‘Russia’s Amazon’ bring Putin’s war closer to home
A series of Ukrainian attacks on the warehouses of Russia’s largest online retailer have led to potentially hundreds of millions of dollars of inventory going up in flames, sparking online outrage among the country’s embattled small business owners.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian drones hit Wildberries distribution centers in Elektrostal in the Moscow region and Kotovsk in the Tambov region. A second wave of attacks hit logistics warehouses in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions early Wednesday, while state media in the southwestern Voronezh region also reported that a drone attack forced the closure of the Wildberries warehouse there from late Wednesday into Thursday.
Ukrainian missile and drone manufacturer FirePoint said on Friday that Ukrainian FP-1 drones hit two additional Wildberries logistics centers in Russia — the Shushary logistics complex in St. Petersburg and the Utkina Zavod facility in the Leningrad region — and the company’s Simferopol logistics center in Russian-occupied Crimea. Wildberries said in a statement on Friday that its headquarters in Simferopol was evacuated and operations at Shushary and Utkina Zavod were temporarily suspended.
Attacks on Wildberries, Russia’s equivalent of e-commerce giant Amazon, have disrupted the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Russians, drawing Moscow’s war against Ukraine even closer. And they are intensifying the economic war campaign of Ukraine, which is seeing a wave of long-term wars. Drone attack on refineries It caused long queues at the pump across Russia.
Locals walk past smoke from a fire that broke out at Russian e-commerce firm Wildberries’ logistics complex in the town of Elektrostal outside Moscow on July 18. – Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP/Getty Images
The attacks were also deadly. According to regional officials, seven people were killed in Kotovsk and one in Elektrostal. At least one person was killed in recent attacks in southern Russia, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region.
Kiev has acknowledged carrying out the attacks on Wildberries warehouses and said the facilities were legitimate military targets because they provided support for Russia’s front-line troops in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday – without naming Wildberries – that “major logistics facilities were hit” and that these warehouses were used “to supply approved components for drone production and navigation equipment.”
The Russian government denies Wildberries supplies the Russian military. A search for “military equipment” on Wildberries’ website on Thursday turned up more than 78,000 items, including body armor, first aid kits and supplies. The site also offers drone equipment, including FPV goggles and kit that can be used on the battlefield.
The Kremlin acknowledged the economic damage caused by the attacks. In response to questions about potential measures to protect businesses affected by the strike, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of Wildberries on Wednesday: “The situation is really difficult, given the losses suffered by both the company and small and medium-sized businesses.”
The economic impact of the strikes is not yet clear. The Russian edition of Forbes cited preliminary estimates suggesting Wildberries had lost up to 9% of its warehouse space and restoring that capacity could cost the company up to 33 billion rubles ($421 million). The report stated that the loss of sellers’ goods could reach at least 150 billion rubles ($1.9 billion). Business newspaper Kommersant estimated that the combined drone attacks affected about 10% of the company’s total logistics capacity.
CNN has reached out to Wildberries for comment on the financial impact of the attacks and allegations that its warehouses supply the Russian military.
Russian entrepreneurs who use Wildberries for distribution took to social media to complain about the strikes and the devastating impact they were having on their businesses.
“About 40% of our business has been reduced to ashes,” one fashion retailer said in a Threads post.
“Of course, compared to human life, it’s just money. The most important thing is that we and our loved ones are safe and sound. We have never stored such a large amount of product in market (Wildberries) warehouses. However, due to new needs, we had to urgently move the stock from our own warehouse, repack it and send it to Wildberries.”
Another video that went viral on Ukrainian accounts showed a Russian retailer whose products were in Wildberries warehouses in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions saying, “I just want this SMO (special military operation) to end.”
Tatyana Kim, CEO of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, in St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). -Olga Maltseva/AFP/Getty Images
Some Russian retailers have complained that Wildberries’ terms of service were recently changed to state that the e-retailer will not be liable for damage caused by drone strikes.
In an interview published by RBC daily business magazine, Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said her company was discussing with Russian authorities the possibility of tax breaks and other measures to help sellers affected by the attacks.
“Today we spoke with one of the institutions – specifically the Federal Tax Service – about the development of potential measures to ease the tax burden for affected entrepreneurs,” he said. “This is not about completely canceling taxes, but rather the possibility of deferrals or similar arrangements,” Kim said.
Ukrainian commentators, on the other hand, said Wildberries’ complaints do not explain the big picture: They say the Russians ignore the fact that Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, ultimately leading to Ukraine’s deep offensive campaign against Russia.
Posting as “Kate from Kharkiv” on
A firefighting helicopter tries to extinguish a fire at Russian e-commerce firm Wildberries’ logistics complex in the town of Elektrostal outside Moscow on July 18. – Tatyana Makeyeva/AFP/Getty Images
Ukrainian social media influencer and former official Anton Gerashchenko said Russians should direct the blame to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Russians have learned that their country is waging a war. The next step is to understand who is responsible for all the damage done to Russia (Putin).” wrote to x.
“Wildberries is no longer just an online marketplace for clothing and household items. The platform sells weapons, body armor, drones, drone components, and fiber optics used for drones. All of these items are used in the war against Ukraine and help kill Ukrainians. This is why such facilities are legitimate military targets for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
Russians are unlikely to direct public anger at Putin, especially in a country where dissent is not tolerated and criticism of the military is illegal. But the Wildberries attacks bring the fight home in a new way for the Russians.
CNN’s Victoria Butenko and Kosta Gak contributed to this report
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