Ukraine war briefing: Two more Wildberries warehouses attacked

Ukraine has attacked two more warehouses belonging to the Russian online retail company Wildberries. The company's head confirmed the attacks on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine struck what he called logistics centres in Russia's Krasnodar and Stavropol regions. He explained that these centres were involved in supplying the Russian military with parts for drones and other equipment. Tatyana Kim, a co-founder and the head of Wildberries, reported that one warehouse was attacked in Krasnodar, and another in Nevinnomyssk, a city in the Stavropol region. In Krasnodar, the regional governor announced that one young woman had died and three other people were taken to hospital following the attack.

Ukraine, which itself is facing constant attacks on its cities, insists that it is targeting companies and infrastructure that provide support to the Russian military. These recent attacks on the large Wildberries warehouses represent a new phase in Ukraine's strategy of carrying out deep strikes within Russia. This comes as Russia's military has been targeting Ukraine's logistics centres, as well as its energy infrastructure and power grid. A Russian group representing e-commerce businesses, Aurek, has requested that the government allow companies that have suffered losses from the Wildberries attacks to postpone their tax payments for six months.

These latest strikes in Russia occurred at the same time that Ukraine's new top military commander, Mykhailo Drapatyi, announced his new objectives. He has been tasked with increasing counteroffensive actions and launching new operations inside Russia. President Zelenskyy has given clear goals: to continue and intensify offensive operations in all areas, to plan new missions behind enemy lines, to improve Ukraine's military and its technology, and to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The appointment of Drapatyi is seen as one of the few wartime decisions in Ukraine that has received widespread approval. This reflects his high status across the country's political, military, and civilian spheres, and it has helped to stabilise the political atmosphere following days of uncertainty in Kyiv. Drapatyi has a history of decisive action, notably leading a tank-like armoured vehicle through a pro-Russian blockade in Mariupol back in 2014.

However, President Zelenskyy is also facing significant pressure to bring back Mykhailo Fedorov to his former role as defence minister. Fedorov's removal led to the dismissal of Oleksandr Syrskyi as Ukraine's top general, with Drapatyi appointed in his place. Protesters are planning a demonstration outside Zelenskyy's presidential office on Friday evening, indicating that Ukraine's political challenges are likely to continue into the following week.

Separately, a Russian attack damaged an energy facility in Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region, leaving over 100,000 consumers without electricity. A regional electricity distribution company stated that repair work would commence as soon as the security situation permitted. In another development, the MV South Star oil tanker was boarded by European Union forces. This action was taken because the vessel was suspected of sailing under a false flag, which is a violation of international maritime law, according to the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas. Kallas explained that this measure was intended to target Russia's shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned Russian oil.

Russia's defence ministry reported that its forces struck the Ukrainian cities of Odesa and Chornomorsk. They claimed to have hit port infrastructure and vessels that were allegedly supporting the Ukrainian military, along with warehouses rumoured to be storing drones. The news agency Reuters mentioned that it could not independently confirm the details of the Russian statement. Meanwhile, the EU is working to overcome an objection from Greece to agree on a new set of sanctions against Russia, aiming to continue limiting its fossil fuel income. Greece is particularly seeking permission for one of its companies to continue transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Arctic Yamal facility to non-EU countries. In the meantime, the 27 member states have reached a temporary agreement to maintain a price cap of $44 on Russian oil for one week, as Brussels seeks to prevent Russia from profiting from price increases caused by the conflict in the Middle East.