Russia’s biggest online shopping platform, Wildberries, has been hit hard by Ukrainian drone attacks on its massive warehouses. One big strike torched a huge logistics hub in Elektrostal, just outside Moscow, with more attacks following on sites in southern Russia. Fires raged, there were casualties, and a ton of goods went up in smoke.

For millions of Russians — especially in places far from regular shops — Wildberries (and its rival Ozon) is basically their go-to for everything from clothes to appliances. These platforms work like giant marketplaces where thousands of small independent sellers store and sell their stuff. Now a bunch of those sellers have lost serious money overnight: one woman selling school supplies saw her whole fresh delivery burn right before the busy back-to-school season, and another lost the equivalent of over £13,000 in teen clothing stock. Many are pausing new shipments because they’re worried about more attacks.

Wildberries’ owner has tried to soften the blow with some discounts and fee waivers, but sellers aren’t expecting full compensation — the company quietly added drone attacks to its “force majeure” list just days before the strikes.

Zelensky openly said Ukraine is bringing the war back to Russia in response to all the Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities and warehouses. Meanwhile, these hits are piling onto other problems Russian small businesses are already facing: higher taxes, fuel shortages from earlier strikes on refineries, internet disruptions, and a tough economic climate with inflation and falling oil revenues. It’s another blow to businesses that Putin has called vital for keeping the country going during the war.

In short, the attacks are showing how Ukraine’s long-range drones are starting to bite into everyday Russian life and commerce, not just military targets.

  • protist@retrofed.com
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    10 hours ago

    Russia is unwilling to return any Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine as part of any peace proposal and Putin is committed to the military seizure of the remainder of Donetsk Oblast…an objective the Russian MoD has assured Putin that Russian forces can achieve by the end of 2026. Russian forces are extremely unlikely to achieve this objective before the end of 2026, however, and the Russian rate of advance in Ukraine has slowed such that ISW is not prepared to assess that Russian forces can seize all of Donetsk Oblast on any timeline.

    Russian officials continue exaggerating Russian battlefield successes to construct a false reality that appears to be shaping Putin’s understanding of the situation and encouraging him to persist in refusing compromise on his demands.

    Russia’s militarized internal security force, Rosgvardia, published proposed amendments on July 21 to expand its civil defense regulations to protect Russian society from unspecified “dangers” during mobilization, martial law, and in wartime…The Kremlin appears to be setting conditions to announce formal mobilization and potentially declare martial law in Russia in anticipation of civil unrest as mobilization remains highly unpopular within Russian society.

    May Putin go down with the ship

    https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-22-2026/