Ukraine’s expanding deep-strike campaign has impacted Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, often described as ‘Russia’s Amazon,’ in a series of drone strikes. The latest strike hit an oil and petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan, sparking a fire at a Wildberries facility.
Impact on Wildberries
The strike marked the latest in a series of Ukrainian attacks affecting Wildberries’ sites across Russia, which began on July 18 when drones hit centers in Kotovsk and Elektrostal, killing seven and wounding more than 60. Four days later, drones struck facilities in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, sparking fires and injuring 15 people.
The total losses incurred by Wildberries and its sellers as a result of the attacks have been estimated at 600 billion to 800 billion rubles ($6 billion to $8.5 billion), according to Ukrainian media outlet Pravda. Roughly 27% of Wildberries’ warehouse capacity is reportedly out of operation.
Response from Wildberries Founder
Wildberries founder and CEO Tatyana Kim has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting a civilian company, describing the strikes as a ‘terrorist attack.’ Kim claimed Wildberries entrepreneurs in Russia and partner countries, including China and Kazakhstan, had ‘suffered losses amounting to billions,’ arguing that the company itself should not be held responsible for covering all the losses.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
