In connection with the incident, 59 Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Leningrad region, according to local authorities. Wildberries has announced that operations at two of the company's warehouses in the city have been temporarily suspended, without providing further details on the extent of the damage.
The development indicates that the e-commerce sector and its logistics infrastructure have come into the focus of the conflict's warfare. Wildberries is Russia's largest online retailer. Together with competitor Ozon and smaller players, they sell goods and services equivalent to 8.5 percent of Russia's gross national product.
From the Ukrainian side, the purpose of the drone attacks is said to be to disrupt the flow of goods and infrastructure. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has previously stated that the e-commerce facilities have been used to "deliver sanctioned components for drone production and navigation equipment." Russian authorities deny that the e-commerce company handles military supplies.
Since mid-July, the company's logistics hubs in Elektrostal, Koledino, Kotovsk, Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk have been affected, with the attack on Elektrostal claiming the lives of eight warehouse workers. The increased intensity of the remote attacks was recently commented on by US President Donald Trump, who described them as "an escalation that could lead to an end."
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