Why Kyiv keeps attacking Russian retail giant Wildberries

Early Sunday, a fire broke out in a warehouse belonging to Russia's largest online marketplace , Wildberries, in the town of Podolsk, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Moscow. The fire was the result of a large-scale overnight attack by Ukrainian drones , most of which were intercepted by Russian air defenses.

On Friday, Ukraine struck a different Wildberries warehouse, in Tver, north of Moscow. The day before, it had set fire to another warehouse in Salavat, further east.

About 20 Wildberries logistics hubs have been under near-daily attack in the past few weeks . At least nine employees have been confirmed dead, and scores injured, while a handful of the storehouses have halted operations.

The Moscow-based e-commerce consultancy Data Insight estimates Wildberries has lost as much as 480 billion rubles worth of goods ($5.7 billion/€4.9 billion) and about a third of its warehouse space. Combined damaged to the company and its sellers are estimated as high as 800 billion rubles ($9.5 billion).

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

While Kyiv argues the retailer helps supply Russia's military , Moscow maintains it serves only civilian purposes. Either way, the attacks have been placing an increased strain on Russia's economy.

"I think [Ukraine is] going after a choke point," Fabrice Pothier, CEO of the geopolitical consultancy firm Rasmussen Global, told DW. "Wildberries is, in a way, a choke point of Russian society and the Russian economy."

Wildberries is often described as Russia's answer to the Amazon marketplace .