©picture alliance / Anadolu | Sefa Karacan
Ukraine set fire to two distribution centers belonging to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, in a large-scale drone attack. The attack struck warehouses in the Tambov and Moscow regions and claimed the lives of at least eight people; dozens more were injured. According to Russian authorities, seven people were killed in Kotovsk, in the Tambov region, and one person was killed in Elektrostal, near Moscow.
Supplier of drone parts to the Russian military
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that his forces had struck multiple logistical targets in Russia. According to him, facilities in the Moscow and Tambov regions were hit that were used to supply sanctioned parts for the production of drones and navigation equipment. Zelensky called the operation a response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets. In the same wave of strikes, an oil depot and targets in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov were also bombed.
Putin’s “Comrade”
Wildberries is often described as the Russian equivalent of Amazon. The company processes millions of orders daily and has one of the country’s largest logistics networks. But according to Ukraine, the company also plays a role in the Russian war industry, including through the supply of components that can be used in military drones. Footage of the attack showed massive plumes of smoke and a fierce fire rising above the company’s warehouses. Behind Wildberries is Tatyana Kim, a former teacher who started the company in 2004 from her apartment while on maternity leave. What began as a small online store grew into a multibillion-ruble business with some 90,000 pickup points and tens of millions of customers in Russia and beyond. Kim is now considered the richest woman in Russia and, according to various reports, maintains close ties with the Kremlin.
The attack once again exposes just how intertwined Russian logistics, state power, and the war economy have become. While Moscow continues to bombard Ukrainian cities, Kyiv is increasingly opting for retaliatory strikes against oil facilities, warehouses, and distribution centers that the country claims are supplying the Russian armed forces. Russian authorities called the attack “cowardly,” but Ukraine views it as a targeted effort to disrupt Russian military operations.
©picture alliance / Anadolu | Sefa Karacan - The photo shows Tatyana Kim.