Ukrainian forces have used long-range drones to strike Russian e-commerce warehouses, including facilities belonging to the retailer Wildberries [1, 2].
These strikes signal a strategic shift to target the Russian economy and bring the physical consequences of the war directly into Russian territory [4, 5].
Recent operations have targeted approximately 10 warehouse facilities [2]. These attacks have resulted in at least nine deaths [2].
On Aug. 7, a warehouse in the Ural Mountains was hit [3, 4]. The facility is located more than 2,000 km from Ukraine [3].
Another strike occurred on Aug. 19, causing a fire at a logistics center located outside Moscow [5]. Ukrainian drone crews are reportedly preparing to strike again [5].
Wildberries is the largest online marketplace in Russia [5]. By targeting these hubs, Ukraine aims to disrupt the domestic supply chain, and economic stability of the Russian state [4, 5].
“Ukrainian forces have used long-range drones to strike Russian e-commerce warehouses.”
The targeting of civilian commercial infrastructure like Wildberries suggests Ukraine is expanding its definition of legitimate military targets to include economic assets. By striking facilities as far as the Ural Mountains, Ukraine demonstrates a growing capability to bypass Russian air defenses over vast distances, forcing the Kremlin to divert resources away from the front lines to protect domestic logistics.
