Tatiana Kim, founder and CEO of Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer, said in a video address to users that the business is not legally responsible for the losses, claiming the attacks by Ukraine 'constitute force majeure'.
Kim, who is described as Russia's wealthiest woman, echoed the Kremlin's line and called the targeting of Wildberries a 'terrorist attack' that led to 'losses amounting to billions'. She said sellers who lost income should wait for the Russian government to help through 'a comprehensive package of support measures'.
Wave of warehouse strikes
Ukraine's strikes on Wildberries depots in recent weeks have produced stark images, with pillars of smoke rising above raging fires. In under two weeks, Ukraine has struck more than a dozen of the retailer's warehouses, part of Kyiv's aerial campaign aimed at undermining Russia's war effort, hurting its economy and making people feel the consequences of the invasion.
The first hits on Wildberries sites in Elektrostal, east of Moscow, and the Tambov region came on July 18. Strikes followed on facilities across western and southern Russia, as well as Russian-held Crimea. A total of nine people have been killed and scores injured.
Military supply accusations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not name Wildberries directly, but said the attacked facilities were involved in supplying gear and technical components to Russia's military. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 21 that 'it is not the case', accusing Ukraine of striking civilian targets, while Russia regularly attacks Ukrainian logistics and retail facilities.
A search of the Wildberries website shows goods that could be used for both civilian and military purposes, such as body armour, helmets, radios and other electronics. Some were marked as 'tested in the SVO' or 'SVO fighters' choice' — a Russian acronym for 'special military operation,' the term the Kremlin uses for the war.
Kim said other online sellers offered the same goods, adding there was 'no logic, common sense, or rationality' to the attacks, which she said aimed to 'trigger panic and shock' among Russians.
16 attacks and recent strikes
There have now been 16 attacks on Wildberries facilities, including strikes last week in the southern Krasnodar and Stavropol regions, St Petersburg, the Leningrad region and Simferopol in Crimea.
On Thursday, a Wildberries depot burned in the Penza region southeast of Moscow, with four people injured and 200 workers evacuated, said Gov Oleg Melnichenko. Wildberries said another warehouse in Sarapul in the Udmurtia region was attacked by a drone, but all workers got out safely.
On Friday, Wildberries said a logistics facility in Volgograd was hit, and Russian news outlet Astra reported a company depot was set ablaze in Zelenodolsk, near Kazan in the Tatarstan region.
