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Why Kyiv keeps attacking Russian retail giant Wildberries
DW.com • • world
Key Points:
- A series of drone attacks by Ukraine have targeted Wildberries warehouses near Moscow and other Russian cities, causing significant damage, casualties, and operational disruptions to the country's largest e-commerce platform.
- Wildberries, often called Russia's Amazon, controls about half of the Russian e-commerce market and has seen rapid growth amid Western sanctions, with revenues increasing sevenfold between 2021 and 2025.
- Ukraine justifies the attacks by alleging Wildberries distributes military and dual-use goods supporting Russia's war effort, while Moscow denies these claims, asserting the platform serves civilian purposes only.
- The attacks aim to disrupt Russian logistics and economy, potentially affecting state-owned creditors like VTB and Sberbank, and to impact civilian life by targeting a major commercial hub that involves millions of sellers and users.
- Wildberries faces substantial debt and operational challenges following the attacks, with its CEO reportedly seeking government support, and state banks expected to play a critical role in any financial rescue efforts.
