Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, Moscow's answer to Amazon, said on Friday that three more of its warehouses ‌had been attacked by Ukraine overnight, part of a widening campaign by Kyiv to damage Russia's economy and logistics chains.

A video from the scene of the attacks in St. Petersburg and nearby showed two giant plumes of thick smoke rising into the sky.

Tatyana Kim, Wildberries' founder and Russia's wealthiest woman, said the latest attacks had targeted warehouses in St. Petersburg, in the surrounding Leningrad region and in Simferopol, the main city in Russian-annexed Crimea.

"We managed to save some ⁠of the premises and goods. I would like to thank our staff, our heroes – a swift evacuation was carried out at all warehouses," Kim said in a statement. "According to preliminary reports, there were no casualties."

"All of our efforts are now focused on redistributing goods across our warehouses to ensure more efficient stock turnover and the economic stability of our partners," she said.

Wildberries, whose banking arm had sanctions imposed on it by the European Union this week over its financial contribution to the Russian budget, plays a central role in Russia's consumer economy.

Its targeting by Ukraine appears to be part of Kyiv's attempts to ensure ordinary Russians feel the impact of the war, which has raged on Ukrainian territory for more than four years.

Sellers face serious losses

The strikes, the ‌fourth on ⁠Wildberries' facilities since last weekend, threaten serious losses for businesses that sell through Wildberries and potential disruption to customers who use it to buy clothing, appliances, medicines, cosmetics and a host of other products.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described the targets as logistics hubs involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components and other equipment. The Kremlin has denied that Wildberries handles military supplies. Kim has accused Ukraine of ⁠attacking ordinary people doing their jobs.

Eight Wildberries warehouses, accounting for over 10% of the company's logistics capacity, have now been attacked since July 18, when the first attack on the retailer killed eight workers.

Kim said the company was working around the clock to try to maintain the quality ⁠of its service.

Wildberries can handle over 20 million orders a day.

Together with ⁠smaller rivals, Wildberries and top competitor Ozon sell goods and services worth the equivalent of 8.5% of Russia's gross domestic product and employ 4 million people, or more than 5% of the country's workforce.

Look at Wildberries

Wildberries was launched in 2004 by Kim, a teacher and a young mother at the time, focusing at first on selling clothes.

Since then, the platform with its distinct purple logo has become an industry leader and household name, allowing big and small businesses alike to sell their goods to customers across the country by storing, shipping and delivering their inventory. In April, Forbes Russia estimated Kim's fortune at $8.1 billion.

The marketplace features all sorts of goods – clothes, books, cosmetics, toys, appliances, household items, sports gear and much more. There's an "E-Pharmacy" page and a travel section where users can book plane tickets or hotels.

In 2021, Kim acquired a small bank and turned it into what is now Wildberries Bank, but that institution has since come under sanctions by the U.K. and the European Union.

Last year, the company had more than 200 logistics facilities totaling over 5.2 million square meters (55 million square feet), with plans to expand in 2026, including planned warehouses in Belarus and Kazakhstan, where Wildberries operates as well. It also operates in Russian-held Crimea.

Some 500,000 to 800,000 sellers are involved with Wildberries, estimated Sergei Semko, a leading analyst with Data Insight, a Moscow-based company that analyzes online retail in Russia.

Wildberries currently accounts for 52% of all online orders in Russia, Semko told The Associated Press (AP).