For much of the war, Ukraine's long-range strikes inside Russia have focused on targets that were easy to classify as part of the war machine, such as oil refineries, fuel depots, airfields, ammunition sites, and naval assets. The recent campaign against Wildberries marks something different. Since mid-July, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly struck warehouses and logistics facilities linked to Russia's largest online retailer, a company that millions of Russians use for everything from clothing and household goods to electronics and children's products.
The attacks have prompted a debate over whether Ukraine is now deliberately targeting a pillar of everyday Russian life in an effort to make ordinary Russians feel the costs of a war that many have been able to keep at arm's length. If that is indeed the strategy, then Wildberries is not just a logistics but a political target.
