Ukrainian drones struck logistics centres belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, for the second time in less than a week on Wednesday, killing at least one person, injuring more than a dozen others, and triggering evacuations across southern Russia as Kyiv pressed ahead with a deliberate campaign to carry the war deep into Russian territory. [1]
A Second Wave in Days
The latest attacks targeted warehouse complexes in the southern cities of Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, according to Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim, who confirmed that both logistics centres had been evacuated. [1] In Krasnodar, at least 10 people were injured — three of them seriously — and a young woman later died of her injuries in hospital, according to regional Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. [3] Five more people were hurt in Nevinnomyssk, said Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov, who confirmed a warehouse complex had caught fire after drones struck its outskirts. [1] Separately, one worker was killed when drone debris fell on a site in the nearby city of Armavir. [1]
The strikes came just four days after Ukraine had already targeted two key Wildberries warehouses on Saturday, killing eight night-shift workers and sparking large fires. [1]
Kyiv's Stated Rationale
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the Wednesday attacks, framing them in explicitly military terms. "Logistics centres involved in supplying the Russian army with components for drones, navigation equipment and supplies, as well as another oil depot," he said, were among the targets. [1] He added that Ukrainian forces had also struck a tanker and four cargo ships belonging to what he described as Russia's "shadow fleet" in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. [1]
The Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert Brovdi, said Ukrainian drones had struck 13 Russian vessels in those waters over the preceding 48 hours. [1]
Al Jazeera's Audrey Macalpine, reporting from Ukraine, described the strikes as part of what Kyiv calls its "40-day influence operations" — a strategy of long-range drone strikes deep inside Russia and on the Black Sea, designed to pressure Moscow back toward the negotiating table. [1]
The Dual-Use Goods Argument
Ukraine's targeting of a civilian retailer has drawn scrutiny, but Kyiv and its supporters have offered a specific justification. Serhii Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre, described Wildberries as a "vital component" of Russian logistics, telling the BBC that the firm's website is actively used by Russian volunteers to purchase military equipment. [3] A quick search of Wildberries' website conducted by the BBC several hours after the attacks confirmed that a range of military gear — including body armour and drone components — remained widely available for purchase. [3]
"The primary rationale for striking Wildberries' warehouses is to disrupt Russian logistics and the supply of dual-use goods, critical electronics, sanctioned goods and the like to the Russian army and Russian arms manufacturers," Kuzan said. [3] He added that "the collateral damage from such strikes could also have a serious impact on the Russian economy, as well as a psychological effect on Russian society and, likely, on continued support for the war." [3]
This framing represents Ukraine's strategic calculation, not a settled legal or factual determination about Wildberries' role in the Russian war effort.
Civilian and Commercial Fallout
The strikes have nonetheless inflicted significant collateral damage on Russia's small and mid-sized business community. Unlike Amazon, Wildberries and its rival Ozon function almost entirely as marketplaces, connecting independent sellers with buyers across Russia, storing and shipping their goods, and handling payments. [3] The destruction of warehouse inventory has wiped out the livelihoods of hundreds of such sellers. [3]
Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim — described by the BBC as Russia's wealthiest woman — acknowledged the human toll in a Telegram post. "There are no words to describe all the feelings and emotions caused by the attacks on ordinary people, on our employees, on us, who are simply doing our jobs," she wrote. [3]
The human cost for individual traders has been stark. A seller identified only as Elena told BBC Russian she had lost the clothing stock that constitutes her sole income, saying that "if there are more strikes, I probably won't manage. It's terrifying to keep loading my goods into what feels like a furnace." [3] Another trader, whose post went viral, wrote that she had lost one million roubles — roughly £9,500 or $12,730 — adding: "I am a mother of a disabled child, I've built the business myself… We're already getting screwed over from every direction as it is." [3]
Broader Escalation
Wednesday's Wildberries strikes were part of a wider operational picture. Outgoing Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii said on the same day that Ukraine had recaptured 700 square kilometres of its territory so far this year. [1] Meanwhile, Russian attacks continued on the Ukrainian side of the front: the governor of the Kharkiv region reported that 15 settlements had been struck in the preceding 24 hours, killing three people and injuring 11, including two children. [1]
Russia had not publicly commented on the Ukrainian strikes on its territory as of Wednesday. [1]
What to Watch
The pace and geographic spread of Ukraine's deep-strike campaign — now hitting civilian infrastructure that Kyiv argues serves dual military purposes — will be a key variable in any future ceasefire or negotiation dynamics. Whether sustained economic disruption and public anger among Russian small-business owners translates into meaningful political pressure on the Kremlin remains an open question. Further drone strikes on logistics hubs, shadow-fleet vessels, and energy infrastructure in the weeks ahead will signal whether Ukraine's "40-day influence operations" are intensifying or reaching their intended conclusion.
