WILD FIRE

Putin Faces Homefront Crisis Over Billion-Dollar Humiliation

Russia’s Amazon is being destroyed.

Vladimir Putin’s home-front disaster has just gotten even worse.

Ukraine launched an armada of drones at Russia on Sunday that set fire to yet another Wildberries facility and killed six people.

Referred to as Russia’s equivalent to U.S. e-commerce giant Amazon, Wildberries has become a consistent target of Kyiv and is thought to have now had billions of dollars worth of merchandise destroyed in drone strikes across the country.

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Kyiv’s long-range strikes on commerce and energy infrastructure have placed a new emphasis on the war by bringing it home to everyday Russians who have, for much of the nearly four-and-a-half-year conflict, not had to contend with a home front as Ukrainians have.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 600 drones had been detected headed towards the capital Moscow during the massive attack, while Russia’s defense ministry said it had destroyed 822 drones, the Associated Press reports.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has been bullish, posting a picture of a burning warehouse on X with the caption, “Ukraine has taken 7 of Wildberries’ 10 largest logistics hubs out of operation.”

“On Sunday night, following a large-scale drone attack on the Moscow Oblast, the company’s logistics hub at the Koledino industrial park also ceased operations, alongside the warehouse in Domodedovo. It was Wildberries’ largest warehouse by area.”

Gov. Andrey Vorobyov in the Moscow Oblast confirmed a blaze at a Wildberries warehouse in Podolsk and said that an 83-year-old had also been killed in the attacks.

He said that 187 drones had been intercepted in the Moscow region, calling it “one of the most massive drone attacks (against Moscow Oblast) in recent memory,” Kyiv Independent reports.

It added that Rostov Oblast Governor Yuri Slyusar said 150 drones had been downed in his region, with five people killed.

During the summer, Ukraine has stepped up its drone blitz on Russia in a bid to limit its ability to wage the war in Ukrainian territory that has raged since February 2022.

Last week it struck military bases and ports deep inside Russian territory, according to the Kyiv Independent, adding to Ukraine’s tactic of striking oil refineries in a bid to cripple the spine of the Russian economy.

The bombardments appear to be causing havoc among the retail goliath’s workforce.

Tatyana Kim, 50, founder of online distributor Wildberries and Russia’s wealthiest woman, said in a post on Telegram following Sunday’s attacks that RWB Group, which owns Wildberries, “is individually considering options for further engagement for employees and contractors, taking into account the situation at each facility. These options include continuing operations at the facility if possible, transferring to other company facilities, and, in certain cases—if other options for continuing employment are unavailable—finding an optimal solution tailored to the specific situation.

“Furthermore, the company has organized free transportation to other facilities and accommodation options in dormitories, increased the fees for contractors for certain operations, and prepared additional bonus payments.

“RWB is working with relevant agencies to explore additional options for continuing employment. Specifically, it plans to hold job fairs and other events in the relevant regions with the participation of potential employers. These events will allow everyone to learn about available vacancies and other employment opportunities.”

Russians have been pressured not to take images of burning infrastructure and logistics hubs amid Ukraine’s blitz.

Earlier this month, reports emerged claiming that several Russians had been arrested after gathering pictures and videos of burning Wildberries buildings, and were later forced to apologize.

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Ukraine’s attacks came against the backdrop of heavy outgoing from Russia. Kyiv was also under fire over the weekend, with its famous book market going up in flames.

Attacks in Kryvyi Rih killed two people, ABC News (Australia) reports, while another person was killed in Sumy and a man and a woman died in their home in the Zaporizhzhia region.

Ukraine’s biggest steel producer, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, also said that one of its plants had been hit.

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Harry ThompsonNews Reporter

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