Ukraine's drone attacks on Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries have ratcheted up the pressure on Moscow's wartime economy, with Kyiv seeking to force President Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table after nearly four-and-a-half years of war. Ukraine has been targeting major logistics centers, such as Russia's Amazon-style retail giant, as part of a push to severely disrupt the country's supply chains and increase the financial burden facing Russian banks and businesses. It marks a significant change in approach for Ukrainian forces, following months of long-range drone strikes targeting Russian energy infrastructure.
Wildberries evacuated a warehouse in the central Russian city of Ryazan on Wednesday morning, the company said, after Ukrainian drones struck several industrial facilities. The Russian government has acknowledged it may need to prop up Wildberries, Reuters reported Tuesday, citing two unnamed sources, with state-controlled bank VTB expected to play a key role.
Russia's Sberbank, meanwhile, has reportedly developed a loan restructuring program for Wildberries vendors, amid fears Ukraine's attacks could trigger a wave of bankruptcies among small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russian businesses have faced numerous disruptions due to the war, according to Natalya Kovaleva, a researcher in the Russia and Eurasia program at Chatham House.
