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Ukraine Targets Russia's Largest Online Retailer Wildberries to Disrupt Wartime Economy

Ukraine is intensifying a drone campaign against Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, to exert economic pressure on Moscow. By targeting major logistics hubs, Ukraine aims to disrupt supply chains and increase the financial burden on Russian businesses and banks. The administration announced that the Russian state may need to prop up Wildberries through state-controlled banks like VTB to offset the 10% loss in warehouse capacity caused by Ukrainian strikes. While the Kremlin maintains that Wildberries is a civilian target, Ukraine claims the retailer supplies the Russian military with essential drone components and navigation equipment. The attacks have already caused significant losses for small and medium-sized enterprises, with some merchants reporting damages worth billions of dollars. To mitigate these losses, Wildberries has classified drone strikes as force majeure events, exempting the company from liability for damaged goods. This strategy reflects Kyiv's broader effort to raise the cost of war for Russia and potentially force Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table.

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