On July 29, 2026, Ukrainian drones struck several industrial facilities in the central Russian city of Ryazan, prompting , Russia's biggest online retailer, to evacuate a warehouse there.
The strikes mark a shift in Ukrainian strategy. After months of targeting Russian energy infrastructure, Kyiv is now hitting major logistics centers to disrupt supply chains and increase the financial burden on Russian banks and businesses.
The Russian government has acknowledged it may need to prop up , with state-controlled bank expected to play a key role, Reuters reported on July 28, citing two unnamed sources.
The strategy is working: hitting logistics forced the Kremlin to consider propping up a major private company, a direct intervention in the economy that shows the pressure is biting.
Ukraine's goal is to force back to the negotiating table, or at least halt his bombardment of Ukrainian cities. has said the targeted warehouses were involved in supplying Russian forces with drone components, navigation equipment, and other military parts.
is Russia's equivalent to Amazon, founded in 2004 and employing about 48,000 people.
The strikes on reflect a broader Ukrainian effort to ratchet up economic pressure on Russian businesses and ordinary citizens, according to researcher Natalya Kovaleva. Kyiv hopes that by raising the cost of war for businesses, internal opposition will mount and may be forced to negotiate.
But that pressure may not translate into political change. Kovaleva noted that elites are more dependent on the Kremlin than ever, even as business conditions worsen.
"Even as it becomes even harder to do business in Russia, the country's elites appear more dependent on – and wary of – the Kremlin [than] ever before," Kovaleva said.
The broader economy is stalling. , a senior fellow at the , said Russia will have zero growth this year, with the economy contracting in the first quarter and industrial output falling. The meaningfully, she said. "Russia is vulnerable."
said U.S. energy sanctions legislation has the potential to be extremely impactful to 's wartime economy.
The same week, met with U.S. President at the Oval Office, and legislation championed by the late Sen. to tighten sanctions on Moscow passed its first Senate hurdle.
The pressure on Russia is complicated by its connection to Iran. Ukraine attacked an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea on July 25, and Tehran has threatened retaliation. noted that Iran's ability to close the Strait of Hormuz is boosting oil prices, giving Russia more resources to continue fighting.