Ukraine hits Russia's largest online marketplace, hurting small businesses and bringing the war home

By — Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press Dasha Litvinova, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/ukraine-hits-russias-largest-online-marketplace-hurting-small-businesses-and-bringing-the-war-home Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Ukraine hits Russia's largest online marketplace, hurting small businesses and bringing the war home World Jul 24, 2026 11:33 AM EDT The Ukrainian attacks on the sprawling Russian warehouses produced stark images, with massive pillars of black smoke rising above fires that raged at facilities of Wildberries, the country's biggest online retailer and its equivalent of Amazon. Kyiv's drones first hit the sites over the weekend, and then struck five more Wildberries warehouses during the week, including one in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. In all, nine people were killed, and scores more injured. The strikes are part of Kyiv's aerial campaign aimed at undermining Russia's war effort, hurting its economy and making people feel the consequences of the Kremlin's all-out invasion of Ukraine. A look at Wildberries and how it became a wartime target: A retailer that has grown since 2004 Wildberries was launched in 2004 by Tatyana Kim, a teacher and a young mother at the time, focusing at first on selling clothes. Since then, the platform with its distinct purple logo has become an industry leader and household name, allowing big and small businesses alike to sell their goods to customers across the country by storing, shipping and delivering their inventory. In April, Forbes Russia estimated Kim's fortune at $8.1 billion. The marketplace features all sorts of goods — clothes, books, cosmetics, toys, appliances, household items, sports gear and much more. There's an "E-Pharmacy" page and a travel section where users can book plane tickets or hotels. READ MORE: Ukrainian drones hit warehouses and other sites across Russia, killing 9 and wounding over 60 In 2021, Kim acquired a small bank and turned it into what now is Wildberries Bank, but that institution has since come under sanctions by the U.K. and the European Union. Kim has said that last year, the company had more than 200 logistics facilities totaling over 5.2 million square meters (55 million square feet), with plans to expand in 2026, including planned warehouses in Belarus and Kazakhstan, where Wildberries operates as well. It also operates in Russian-held Crimea. READ MORE: Ukrainian drones batter Russian oil facilities and set more oil tankers ablaze Some 500,000 to 800,000 sellers are involved with Wildberries, estimated Sergei Semko, a leading analyst with Data Insight, a Moscow-based company that analyzes online retail in Russia. Wildberries currently accounts for 52% of all online orders in Russia, Semko told The Associated Press. Shoppers interviewed Thursday by AP in Moscow praised the convenience of Wildberries. One said she would contin