Ukraine hits Russia's largest online marketplace, hurting small businesses and bringing the war home - AP News

What the report says

Associated Press reports that Ukrainian drone attacks have struck warehouse facilities tied to Wildberries, Russia’s largest online marketplace, in a campaign that has brought visible disruption to a major consumer platform. The strikes first hit sites over the weekend and continued during the week, including attacks on five additional Wildberries warehouses, one of them in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. AP reported that nine people were killed and scores were injured, with images showing heavy smoke from a facility in St. Petersburg on July 24, 2026.

Wildberries, often compared to Amazon in Russia, has become a central part of the country’s online retail system since its 2004 launch by Tatyana Kim. The platform handles storage, shipping and delivery for a wide range of sellers and products, from clothes and cosmetics to electronics, household items, travel services and pharmacy-related offerings. AP cited Data Insight analyst Sergei Semko as estimating that 500,000 to 800,000 sellers use the marketplace and that Wildberries accounts for 52% of online orders in Russia.

Kyiv has framed its broader long-range strike campaign as an effort to weaken Russia’s war capacity and economy. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not specifically name Wildberries, but said targeted facilities were linked to supplies and technical components for Russia’s military. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected that characterization and accused Ukraine of hitting civilian targets.

AP noted that searches of Wildberries’ site showed dual-use goods, including body armor, helmets, radios and electronics, with some items marketed using references to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The attacks matter beyond their immediate casualties because they affect a widely used commercial network and the many small businesses that depend on it.