Western Officials Visit Kyiv Amid Ukraine’s Push Against Russian E‑Commerce Giant Ozon

Western officials are set to arrive in Kyiv this weekend, just before Ukraine’s Independence Day observances on Monday.

As preparations for the event intensified, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, in the capital on Sunday. The two leaders convened a roundtable discussion focused on joint defence cooperation.

Zelenskyy also received US Senators Richard Blumenthal and James Lankford in Kyiv, informing them of the ongoing Russian ballistic missile threat and stressing the necessity for enhanced air defence capabilities.

European Council President António Costa is likewise expected to visit Ukraine, joining other international dignitaries such as Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

Zelenskyy rejects call for election

Amid the Independence Day preparations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly turned down an unexpected proposal from his former defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, to hold a presidential election during wartime.

“I believe that in a war like this, holding elections would pose a significant risk. Conducting a vote now would unleash a tsunami that could fracture Ukraine,” Zelenskyy stated during a media briefing.

“If the aim were to undermine the nation, pursuing elections amid war would be the way to go,” he added.

Zelenskyy had dismissed the well‑liked minister earlier in the year, triggering protests and a political crisis in Kyiv.

Ukraine shifts focus

On the military front, Ukraine is redirecting its attention toward the Russian e‑commerce platform Ozon, following its campaign targeting the online retailer Wildberries.

On Sunday, Ukrainian forces hit an Ozon facility for the second time this weekend, striking a logistics site in the city of Orenburg, local officials reported.

“Several UAVs were intercepted over the special economic zone housing our industrial facilities. Fortunately, there were no injuries,” said Orenburg Mayor Albert Yumadilov in a Telegram post.

“Debris landed on the Ozon logistics complex, sparking a fire that was promptly put out by personnel from the Ministry of Emergency Situations,” he added.

Ukraine also struck an Ozon logistics hub in Russia’s Samara region on Saturday, according to both Kyiv officials and the company.

“We evacuated more than 500 employees within minutes,” Ozon stated, noting an unspecified number of injuries and that warehouse operations have been suspended indefinitely.

It comes as the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence announced a new strategy aimed at the company, which it says stores dual‑use goods.

“After Ukrainian forces struck 15 of Wildberries’ largest logistics centres, it is now Ozon’s turn,” the ministry posted on social media.

“Systematic attacks on storage facilities containing dual‑use goods are disrupting enemy logistics and weakening Russia’s economy overall,” it added.

Wildberries

Ukraine, marking its National Flag Day on Sunday, has carried out repeated strikes on Wildberries warehouses in recent weeks, describing the campaign as a response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian firms such as Nova Poshta.

Kyiv also hopes the strikes will undermine the Russian economy and interrupt the flow of materiel to Vladimir Putin’s military.

Zelenskyy has asserted that Wildberries is involved in the supply of military goods and represents significant revenue for Russia, adding that strikes on its warehouses have already inflicted billions of dollars in losses.

Founded in 2004 by Russian billionaire Tatyana Kim, the company has grown into Russia’s largest online marketplace.

Russian forces strike Ukraine’s railways

Russian forces also launched several attacks on Ukraine’s railway network on Sunday, according to authorities.

A train was hit at Lymanivka station in the northeastern Kharkiv region, resulting in one fatality and four injuries, said Mykola Kalashnyk, Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure.

“Owing to the drone threat, the train was halted promptly and passengers evacuated. While most individuals and the train crew reached a safe distance from the tracks, some remained near the train,” he noted on Telegram.

In the Odesa region of southern Ukraine, a Shahed attack drone struck a passenger train en route from Zhytomyr to Odesa, according to Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, head of the state‑run Ukrainian Railways operator.

“The Ukrainian Railways monitoring team issued an evacuation order in time, bringing the train to an emergency stop on the track – ensuring the safety of passengers, train crew and locomotive crew,” he said, noting that 593 passengers, including 15 children, were aboard the service.

Ukraine’s ‘two major challenges’

For Zelenskyy, the two primary challenges in the confrontation with Moscow remain Russia’s ballistic missile threat and securing adequate funding for Ukraine’s defence.

He has repeatedly urged for additional interceptor missiles to counter the persistent ballistic missile threat, emphasizing that although local air defences have improved against other missile types, “ballistic missiles are ballistic missiles.”

Zelenskyy now seeks to acquire 300 U.S.–made Patriot interceptors as part of a winter package designed to bolster Ukraine’s sky defence.

“I would very much like to believe that we can secure a modest share of U.S. stockpiles—perhaps 5% or 10%,” he wrote on X on Sunday, adding, “We are prepared to pay for those supplies.”

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