In the summer of 2026, the war between Ukraine and Russia extended its reach into the arteries of commerce, as Ukrainian drone strikes crippled Wildberries — Russia's largest online retailer — destroying a tenth of its warehouse network and forcing the Kremlin to contemplate a costly government bailout. Kyiv's targeting was not incidental: the company's deep ties to state bank VTB and its role in military supply chains made it a strategic node whose collapse could ripple through Russia's broader financial system. The strikes reveal a deliberate doctrine — that economic infrastructure, not just
Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries threaten Russian economy as Kremlin weighs bailout
Wildberries paid 40 million roubles to families of those killed or injured in Ukrainian drone attacks on its warehouses.