The Economist: The Crackdown On Wildberries Has Had Unexpected Consequences For The Kremlin

• 24.07.2026, 9:09

The attacks affected virtually all residents of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian strikes on Wildberries warehouses and fuel infrastructure facilities brought a real sense of war into Russia and led to a noticeable decline in Russians’ trust in the government. This is stated in an article by The Economist.

According to the publication, attacks on oil refineries—which caused fuel shortages—and subsequent strikes on Wildberries’ logistics centers have shown Russians that the war unleashed by the Kremlin now directly affects their daily lives. “These black plumes of smoke have become part of everyday life,” one Moscow resident told the magazine.

Russian political analyst Elena Panfilova noted that the attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses have affected virtually every resident of the country: some physically, others financially, and still others psychologically.

Currently, the marketplace’s sellers are reporting massive losses en masse on social media. At the same time, as The Economist notes, two weeks before the attacks, Wildberries changed the terms of its contracts with partners, excluding liability for damage related to military actions.

The publication also cites data from opinion polls indicating that, according to VTsIOM, satisfaction with the Russian government’s performance fell from 45% in January to 21% in June.

According to the Levada Center, the share of Russians who believe the country is heading in the wrong direction has risen from 17% to 35% over the past year.

The Economist notes that most Russians would like to see an end to the war. Against this backdrop, the state media’s tactic of not covering Ukrainian drone strikes is undermining trust in television.

Although 56% of citizens still cite it as their primary source of information, only 37% trust it.