Russia's Amazon Takes Desperate Measures To Avoid Ukrainian Strikes
The logo of Wildberries is being removed from its vehicles, according to reports.
Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries is taking desperate measures to avoid Ukrainian drone strikes on its facilities, which serve as battlegrounds for the ongoing conflict. The company, known for delivering clothing, electronics, groceries, and household goods, now faces removal of its branding from delivery trucks as a countermeasure.
Wildberries contends that its warehouses do not support the Russian military's drone components and navigation equipment, a claim Ukraine denies. As the firm grapples with the economic fallout from repeated strikes, social media users have posted videos showing the removal of Wildberries' branding from its trucks. According to a report from The Moscow Times, the company has stopped displaying military-related goods on its website and removed tags linked to Russia's full-scale invasion.
Political science professor Aurélien Colson of ESSEC Business School noted that the strikes on Wildberries send a two-fold message: the war is no longer a distant concern for Russians, and the line between civilian commerce and military logistics has blurred in Russia's war economy. The Kremlin has yet to comment on the matter. Wildberries, along with other competitors, accounts for about 8.5% of Russia's GDP, employing more than 5% of the country's workforce.
The firm has been hit by 25 attacks, stretching from St Petersburg in the north to Yekaterinburg in the Urals. As of early August, these attacks have destroyed approximately 1.18 million square meters of Wildberries' warehouse space, accounting for one-fifth of its total capacity. The strikes have strained Russia's economy and demonstrate the effectiveness of Ukraine's strategy of targeting commercial infrastructure to pressure Moscow into peace talks and convince the West to continue supporting Ukraine.
However, Colson from ESSEC and Vuk Vuksanović from LSE IDEAS believe that the campaign has not produced the desired results, as Russia remains in a position to respond with even more destructive force.
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