Putin Orders Government to Help Rebuild Warehouses Destroyed in Ukrainian Attacks

Russian President Vladimir Putin directed his government on Wednesday to initiate a program for rebuilding commercial warehouses damaged or destroyed by Ukrainian drone attacks. Ukraine has launched drone strikes against numerous warehouses of Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, since mid-July. These attacks have resulted in explosions and fires, severely damaging a significant portion of the company's storage capacity.

While Putin did not specifically name Wildberries, he emphasized that several logistic sites require state support for revival and restoration at a higher technological level. In his televised address to a conference of ministers and business leaders, Putin stated that despite Western sanctions and Ukrainian attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities, Russia's economy is growing modestly.

He acknowledged that such attacks do cause damage, albeit not critical ones. Ukraine accuses Wildberries of supplying the Russian military with drone parts and other equipment, a claim the company denies. Instead, Wildberries asserts that the drone strikes on its facilities constitute acts of terrorism. The Moscow Times, a news outlet based in Russia, is currently facing challenges as the country's Prosecutor General's Office has designated it as an "undesirable" organization, leading to criminalization of its work and risk to its staff.

The paper, however, maintains that its mission is to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia and refuses to be silenced. Despite these obstacles, The Moscow Times appeals for support, encouraging readers to contribute as little as $2 monthly to aid in their ongoing work of delivering independent journalism in the face of repression.