Ukraine Pushes Strikes Deeper Into Russia, Hitting Massive Warehouses, an Oil Tanker, and Ships

Overnight into Wednesday, Ukraine carried out another drone attack on logistics hubs belonging to Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, the second such strike in less than a week. According to Russian authorities and the company’s founder, the attacks injured 15 people, sparked major fires, and forced workers to evacuate from two storage complexes in the country’s southwest.

Wildberries founder Tatyana Kim said employees at both sites were evacuated following the strikes and sharply condemned what happened: "There are no words that can describe all the feelings and emotions stirred by attacks on ordinary people, on our employees, on us, who are simply doing our jobs." She added, "But these situations illustrate the most important thing: we must continue doing what we do for the sake of people."

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that the strikes targeted logistics centers in the Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, which he said were "involved in supplying components for drones, navigation equipment, and other gear for the Russian military." He also claimed that Ukraine struck an oil terminal, an oil tanker, and four cargo ships from Russia’s "shadow fleet" in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

Russia uses its "shadow fleet" to bypass the international sanctions imposed on its oil exports since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

This latest attack comes just days after another wave of strikes on Wildberries warehouses in Tambov and Elektrostal. In those attacks, eight people were killed. Satellite images published afterward pointed to especially heavy damage at the Elektrostal site, near Moscow, where three buildings were almost completely destroyed.

Behind the strikes is Ukraine’s claim that the company’s warehouses are also serving military needs. Serhiy Kuzan, chairman of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, previously told the BBC that the Wildberries site had been used by Russian volunteers to purchase equipment for the military. In his words, "The main objective of striking Wildberries warehouses is to disrupt Russia’s logistics system and the supply of dual-use products, critical electronics, goods under sanctions, and additional equipment for the Russian military and Russian weapons manufacturers." He added that damage to the logistics centers could also have a significant effect on the Russian economy and on public support for the war.

Wildberries mainly operates as a marketplace connecting independent sellers with buyers, while providing storage, shipping, and payment processing services. As a result of the attacks, hundreds of private merchants who rely on the company as a source of income were also affected.