Ukraine targets Russias top online retailer with more strikes on warehouses

MOSCOW — Ukraine has attacked two more warehouses of Russian online retailer Wildberries, its boss said on Wednesday, extending a series ‌of drone strikes on a company at the heart of Russia’s consumer economy.Tatyana Kim, the co-founder and head of Wildberries, said warehouses had been attacked in Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk, both in southern Russia.Social media footage, verified by Reuters, showed a huge plume of smoke rising into the air in Krasnodar.The regional governor said a young ​woman had been killed and three other people were being treated in hospital.Wildberries, often described as Russia’s Amazon, is one of ​the country’s biggest employers.

Its shares are not publicly traded, but those of its rival Ozon were down 2.3 percent on ⁠Wednesday afternoon, recovering somewhat from earlier lows, on concerns it too could become a target.The attacks on Wildberries’ massive warehouses mark a new stage ​in Ukraine’s campaign of deep strikes inside Russia to undermine Moscow’s war effort and bring the conflict home to ordinary Russians.Ukraine, whose own cities are ​under constant attack, says it is hitting companies and infrastructure that support the Russian military.President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday described the latest targets as logistics hubs involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components and other equipment.The Kremlin has denied Wildberries handles military supplies.

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s logistics hubs as well as ​its energy system and power grid.A previous strike by Ukrainian drones on Saturday killed eight Wildberries workers, sparked fires ​and disrupted the company’s operations.“There are no words to describe all the feelings and emotions caused by the attacks on ordinary people, on our employees, on all ‌of ⁠us who are simply doing our jobs,” Kim, the company’s boss, said in a post on Telegram after the latest attacks.The extent of the damage, and the impact for custo...