Russian billboards in occupied Crimea urge support for Wildberries sellers after Ukrainian strikes

Billboards in occupied Sevastopol, Crimea, have begun displaying messages urging people to support sellers on Wildberries affected by Ukrainian strikes on the company's warehouses, the pro-Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind said on July 28.

"Support the entrepreneurs with an order," the billboard read, according to footage published by Crimean Wind.

The billboards are part of a nationwide campaign launched by Wildberries. Russia's state-owned news agency TASS reported on July 26 that the company had expanded an online initiative supporting Wildberries sellers to digital advertising screens across Russia.

The development comes after a week of consecutive Ukrainian attacks on logistics hubs owned by Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. The Wildberries strikes signaled a new development in Ukraine's drone campaign, which has previously focused on Russian oil refineries, military facilities, and energy infrastructure.

Kyiv said the strikes were intended to disrupt Russian military logistics.

Wildberries offers a number of dual-use items that can be used on the battlefield against Ukraine on its platform, including bulletproof vests and fiber-optic cable for drones.

Following the July attacks, the company reportedly hid such goods from search results for terms such as "everything for the SVO" and "SVO" — the Russian acronym for "special military operation," the Kremlin's official euphemism for the all-out war in Ukraine.

When users search for "everything for the SVO" on the marketplace's website or app, the platform now returns the message "No suitable products found."

At the same time, military-related goods remain available on the marketplace. Bulletproof vests and protective helmets can still be found in the "Sport" category.

According to Vot Tak, searches such as "goods for SVO" and "SVO accessories" still return military first-aid kits, backpacks, radios, chevrons, and various flags. The marketplace also lists FPV drones and their components.

The company's banking arm was sanctioned by the EU in July over its financial contribution to the Russian budget. Wildberries also plays a significant role in Russia's consumer economy, accounting for almost 50% of Russia's online retail market.

The billboards appeared in Sevastopol while the city was coming under attack. On July 28, the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said the military was repelling a Ukrainian attack and that air defense systems and mobile fire groups were operating in the city.

Ukraine has also intensified long-range strikes on occupied Crimea in recent months, targeting Russian military infrastructure.

Several attacks have been followed by temporary power outages in parts of the occupied peninsula, due to damage to energy infrastructure and emergency power restrictions imposed by the occupation authorities.

In the night on July 28, an electric substation in the occupied city of Feodosia in southeastern Crimea was struck by Ukrainian drones, leaving much of the city without power, according to Crimean Wind.

Ukraine's General Staff said that overnight on July 28, Ukrainian troops struck a logistics depot and a fuel and lubricants depot near the village of Ichki, Crimea.