Russian online megastore shuts warehouses after Ukrainian attacks

The Wildberries online retailer suspended operations at two large warehouses in the cities of Krasnodar and Nevinnomyssk after Ukrainian attacks targeted the facilities Wednesday night, according to Russian state-run news source TASS. Wildberries is widely considered to be Russia’s equivalent of Amazon. Ukrainian drones have targeted at least four of its warehouses within the last week, according to TASS.

Videos circulating on social media showed buildings consumed in flames and thick columns of smoke.

What have the Russian and Ukrainian governments said about the strikes? Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the strikes showed Ukraine’s terroristic motivations in targeting civilian sites, according to TASS. Wildberries suffered heavy financial losses, and the government was helping the company handle the situation, he said. He denied reports that Wildberries warehouses stored Russian military supplies.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy didn’t specifically comment on Wildberries, but said Tuesday that Ukraine’s long-range strikes were intended to turn Russian citizens’ opinions against the war.

Dig deeper: Read William Fleeson’s report on how daily life looks for a Ukrainian family of pastors amid the war.