Ukraine has hit the warehouses of Russia’s largest online retailer Wildberries around a dozen times since mid-July, killing at least eight people and knocking out a large chunk of the company’s storage capacity.<\/p>\n
Kyiv accuses the e-commerce giant — which employs tens of thousands of people and is sometimes referred to as “Russia’s Amazon” — of storing drone parts and helping the Russian army.<\/p>\n
Here is what we know about Wildberries and how it became a target for Ukraine, which has intensified its retaliatory strikes on Russia more than four years into the war.<\/p>\n
– Series of attacks –<\/p>\n
Ukraine first targeted Wildberries on July 18, hitting a warehouse near Moscow and another in the Tambov region, south of the capital.<\/p>\n
It has since targeted around a dozen other warehouses across central and western Russia, from the southern Krasnodar region to the city of Sarapul, more than 1,200 kilometres (about 750 miles) from the front line.<\/p>\n
The strikes have sparked huge fires and killed at least eight people, according to officials.<\/p>\n
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described the warehouses as “logistics hubs involved in supplying the Russian army with drone components, navigation equipment and other gear.”<\/p>\n
Both Wildberries and the Kremlin have rejected this characterisation.<\/p>\n
Since the strikes, the company appears to have removed a search tag from its website linked to Ukraine war paraphernalia.<\/p>\n
– What is Wildberries? –<\/p>\n
Wildberries is Russia’s largest online retailer, accounting for up to 10 percent of the country’s entire retail turnover, according to Russian media.<\/p>\n
The company has tens of thousands of pickup locations across the country — even in remote villages — and sells a dizzying range of products, from medicine to children’s goods.<\/p>\n
Since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, Wildberries has been accused of helping Russians dodge Western sanctions by importing branded goods via third party countries.<\/p>\n
The firm says it processes more than 20 million transactions a day and has played an important role in keeping the Russian economy afloat, with many small and medium-sized businesses relying on it to sell their products.<\/p>\n
Russian businesses had struggled with internet restrictions and tax hikes imposed by the Kremlin, as well as fuel shortages caused by Ukrainian strikes.<\/p>\n
Denys Shtilerman, head of Ukrainian defence firm Fire Point, said the strikes were partly aimed at harming Russia’s economy and hoped it could trigger a financial crisis.<\/p>\n
– Frustration on social media –<\/p>\n
Wildberries has not released estimates for the damage caused by the Ukrainian strikes.<\/p>\n
Strikes on two of its warehouses in southern Russia last week could have caused more than $1.5 billion in damage alone, the Forbes Russia news outlet reported, while other media outlets say the company could have lost up to 10 percent of its storage capacity in total.<\/p>\n
The company says it has paid around $500,000 in compensation to the families of employees killed in the strikes.<\/p>\n
Wildberries has also reimbursed the losses of some small businesses, although many say they are still out of pocket.<\/p>\n
Some sellers reported having to sign clauses waiving their right to compensation in the event of a drone strike on warehouse facilities.<\/p>\n
Viktoria Terekhova, founder of a children’s clothing brand, said in a video on Instagram that she had lost “practically all” her stock and had no way of obtaining compensation.<\/p>\n
“We lost not only the goods but also all the money invested in them… I hope I have the strength, courage, and resilience to get over this,” she said, breaking into tears.<\/p>\n
– ‘Support entrepreneurs’ –<\/p>\n
The Kremlin has acknowledged the government may have to assist Wildberries, but has not yet made a decision on state aid.<\/p>\n
Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim — who reportedly founded the company out of her apartment in 2004 and is now Russia’s richest woman — has said the company is working on security measures and re-directing goods.<\/p>\n
The multi-billionaire accused Kyiv of attacking “ordinary people”.<\/p>\n
The company has launched a major advertising campaign across Russia in recent days with the tagline: “Support entrepreneurs with an order”.<\/p>\n
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