Russia’s businesses under strain from Ukraine’s attacks on Wildberries

BBC:

Ukrainian drones have hit several retail warehouses belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, in a matter of days, dealing a blow to a large number of small and medium-sized businesses.

After months of drone attacks on oil depots and refineries, Kyiv says it is now targeting logistics hubs used by Russians to buy military equipment, and disrupting supplies to the Russian army.

But it has also frustrated hundreds of Russian sellers who depend on online marketplaces for their livelihoods, making the war feel closer to home after almost four and a half years.

“I am a mother of a disabled child, I’ve built the business myself,” one woman complained on an expletive-laden social media post that went viral.

“I’ve lost 1m roubles (£9,500; $12,700)… We’re already getting screwed over from every direction as it is.”

In Ukraine’s first attack on Wildberries at the weekend, two warehouses were hit, at Elektrostal east of Moscow and in Kotovsk in the Tambov region, some 400km (250 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Seven workers on a nightshift were killed in Kotovsk and one was fatally wounded at Elektrostal. Dozens more were injured and goods worth an estimated at £750m ($1bn) were destroyed.

Kyiv said it had struck “major logistics facilities” used to “supply sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment”.

Further attacks overnight into Wednesday hit Wildberries logistic hubs at Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk in the Stavropol region.

The company’s owner Tatiana Kim said further casualties had been reported.

“We are, quite justly, bringing the war back home – to Russia,” said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia has targeted Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 and recent Russian attacks have hit Ukrainian warehouses and cargo terminals.

Sorting terminals for Ukraine’s largest private postal operator, Nova Poshta, have come under attack, so too have warehouses owned by retail chain ATB and confectionery group Roshen.