Following attacks on Wildberries warehouses, Russians are increasingly blaming Kremlin, - study
The strikes on Wildberries’ logistics centres in the Moscow and Tambov regions were the most talked-about topic on Russian regional social media last week. Against this backdrop, an increasing number of Russians are openly blaming their own authorities – rather than Ukraine – for what has happened.
According to Censor.NET, citing a study by the civil society organisation Join Ukraine, the attacks on Wildberries’ warehouses have even pushed discussions about strikes on Russian oil refineries off the news agenda.
According to the monitoring data, Russians discussed most frequently the massive attack involving over 350 drones on Moscow and the Moscow Region, strikes on the ‘Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat’ plant and the Afipsk oil refinery, as well as the destruction of two Wildberries logistics centres in Elektrostal and Kotovsk. According to official figures, the marketplace’s preliminary losses exceeded 50 billion roubles.
Analysts note that in most public discussions, users questioned the official reports on the consequences of the attacks. Russians did not believe the statistics on the number of casualties, did not understand the rationale behind the strikes on Wildberries, and increasingly blamed the Russian authorities, the war and Vladimir Putin personally for the situation.
News that the terms of contracts with sellers had been amended shortly before the attacks also caused quite a stir. There was lively discussion on social media that Wildberries had effectively absolved itself of liability for losses caused by military action. Some users even suggested that the company might have been preparing in advance for possible strikes.
The survey also revealed that Russians are growing increasingly weary of the war. Comments calling for an end to the fighting are gaining more and more approval, yet at the same time, posts calling for new strikes against Ukraine are also garnering significant support.
"The attacks on Wildberries have become a kind of test of trust. The reactions of Russians have shown that they no longer take official statements at face value. They question the statistics, suspect conspiracies, look for culprits within the country and, increasingly, reject the authorities’ explanations. For the Kremlin, this is no less dangerous a process than the strikes themselves, as a loss of trust undermines the state’s ability to control public sentiment," said Yulia Yelenich, an analyst specialising in Russian affairs at the NGO Join Ukraine.
The authors of the study explain that this reaction is indicative of the growing polarisation of Russian society. Following large-scale attacks, user activity rises sharply, leading to a simultaneous intensification of both anti-war sentiment and calls for further escalation.
The monitoring covered around 410 regional Telegram channels and VKontakte groups across all eight federal districts of the Russian Federation, including the temporarily occupied regions of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk. The analysis covered the period from 13 to 19 July.
