A series of drone strikes targeting warehouses of Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, has inflicted significant damage on the company’s logistics network and highlighted growing tensions in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The most recent attack occurred on Sunday at a warehouse in Samara, located in southwestern Russia, producing large smoke clouds visible for miles. This incident follows several other strikes since mid-July that have set multiple Wildberries facilities ablaze, including a logistics hub outside Moscow that was hit on July 18 and resulted in eight fatalities.

Wildberries, often described as Russia’s Amazon due to its dominant position in the domestic e-commerce market, controls approximately half of Russia’s online retail sector. The company is also among the country’s most indebted enterprises, with significant financial ties to the state-controlled bank VTB. Kremlin-aligned businessman Oleg Deripaska has warned that the company’s destabilization could trigger a broader financial ripple effect across Russian banks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has characterized the Wildberries warehouses as military targets, alleging that the company supplies the Russian military with drone components and other hardware. Following these allegations, Wildberries removed a page from its platform that advertised military-related products, such as body armor and drone modifications designed for combat use. Zelensky framed the strikes as retaliatory measures against increased Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, including those affecting the Ukrainian postal company Nova Poshta, which Russia claims supports its military efforts.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Zelensky, further explained that targeting Wildberries aims to strike the company’s Kremlin-backed creditors and to exert pressure on the Russian public by disrupting everyday commercial activity and the broader economy. Wildberries reported a turnover of 6 trillion roubles (approximately £59 billion) in the previous year, making it a substantial contributor to Russian tax revenue. Podolyak noted that the strikes could lead to significant revenue shortfalls for the Russian government.

The attacks have provoked a pronounced emotional response among Wildberries’ network of suppliers and small business vendors, many of whom rely heavily on the platform for their livelihoods. Social media channels such as Instagram and TikTok have featured numerous videos of vendors expressing distress over destroyed stock and disrupted businesses. Prominent sellers have publicly appealed for intervention from Russia’s leadership and the company’s owner, Tatyana Kim, urging efforts to halt the conflict.

Wildberries has provided some compensation to affected families and vendors but maintains it is not legally responsible for losses resulting from the strikes, citing newly revised insurance clauses classifying such events as force majeure. Meanwhile, the Russian government has not publicly addressed the series of attacks against Wildberries but is reportedly considering whether to provide support to stabilize the company.

Since the outbreak of full-scale hostilities, Wildberries has deepened its connections with the Kremlin, including a 2024 merger with Russ Outdoor, Russia’s largest outdoor advertising firm reportedly endorsed personally by President Vladimir Putin. The Samara hub, recently targeted, serves as a critical link between Wildberries’ operations in European Russia and Siberia. Ukrainian drone forces commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi indicated that these strikes are part of a continuing campaign, signaling further disruption to the company’s logistics network in the coming weeks.