Why Ukraine Keeps Targeting 'Russia's Amazon' Wildberries

Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, often compared to America's Amazon, has seen its vast warehouse network repeatedly hit by Ukrainian drone strikes since mid-July. At least 12 warehouses have been partially or completely destroyed, killing 13 employees and injuring dozens more.

One of the latest attacks struck a Wildberries warehouse in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, about 2,087 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Video posted online showed two columns of gray smoke rising from the warehouse roof amid gunfire as security forces tried to shoot down the drone. The company confirmed temporary delivery disruptions, while regional governor Denis Pasler said all 800 employees were safely evacuated.

Analysts suggest these strikes target not the front lines but Kyiv's perception of how Russia's economy operates and the potential social and political consequences. "The attacks aim to have a major impact on large social groups that pretend to be apolitical and believe the war has nothing to do with them," said Mykhailo Podolyaka, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

According to published data, Wildberries operates 40 large warehouses and nearly 200 smaller facilities, with total storage space of 5.2 million square meters—equivalent to 12 times the area of Vatican City. The company's 2025 revenue reached $79 billion, accounting for nearly 3% of Russia's GDP and almost half of the nation's online retail sales. Tens of thousands of small retailers buy and store goods there and use the company's delivery services.

Kyiv accuses Wildberries of selling military or dual-use items such as drone components, navigation equipment, first-aid kits, and bulletproof vests, thereby aiding Russia's war effort. The company and the Kremlin deny these allegations. However, observers say the strikes are unlikely to affect Russia's military capabilities because "similar items are sold on many other e-commerce platforms," according to Nikolay Mitrokhin, a researcher at the University of Bremen in Germany.

Moscow calls the attacks "terrorism" by the "Kyiv regime," which "continuously targets civilian objectives," according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Ukraine, meanwhile, views them as retaliation for Russia's years-long strikes on Ukrainian post offices, energy infrastructure, hospitals, and apartment buildings, which have killed thousands and left millions without power and heating.

The strikes are having ripple effects. Wildberries does not insure against drone or missile damage, while the company has borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars from Kremlin-controlled banks. Some small businesses with goods stored in Wildberries warehouses say they have been left empty-handed after fires destroyed their inventory. Kyiv has also vowed to "finish off" Wildberries and e-commerce platform Ozon to collapse Russia's banking system.

In response, Russian authorities have only discussed tax incentives or subsidies for Wildberries and its customers, while some local governments have offered symbolic compensation. Analysts predict the attacks will force the company to adapt by "decentralizing logistics, increasing service costs, and converting large centers into distributed hubs," according to Kyiv-based analyst Aleksey Kushch.