Fire Point CEO: the only language Russians understand is the language of force
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine is capable of exerting a tangible asymmetric influence on the enemy and is already doing so through long-range strikes.
Ukraine is capable of exerting a real influence on the enemy, while the Russians understand only the language of force. Irina Terekh, CEO and CTO of Fire Point, a Ukrainian company manufacturing long-range weapons, said this in an interview with CBS News, UNN reports.
The media outlet notes that 60% of the drones striking targets on Russian territory, including Wildberries marketplace warehouses, are produced by Fire Point.
"I do not feel like a victim in this situation. We feel that we can deliver a very asymmetric response with limited resources, while simultaneously having a real impact," Terekh said in response to a question about whether she feels better knowing that the weapons produced by the company are bringing the war to the Russians.
She also added that, in her expectation, the ballistic weapon Fire Point is working to develop will be able to strike Russian territory as early as this year. In her view, such weapons will help Ukraine negotiate from a position of strength.
"The only thing they understand, the only language they understand, is the language of force," Terekh emphasized.
Irina Terekh
Attacks on Wildberries
Ukraine's Defense Forces have put most of the large logistics centers of the Russian marketplace Wildberries out of service. One of the latest targets was the company's logistics hub in the Koledino industrial park. It was Wildberries' largest warehouse by area—250,000 m².
According to analysts, the direct losses of Wildberries alone, which lost about 20% of its warehouse capacity in a few weeks, could exceed 100 billion rubles ($1.24 billion), and in the worst-case scenario—200 billion ($2.45 billion). In addition, due to the exodus of sellers, many of whom instantly lost their businesses and goods worth hundreds of billions of rubles, Wildberries' turnover has already fallen by a quarter.
The Bell reports that Wildberries' total need for funds could reach 1.3 trillion rubles ($16.36 billion). The company will have to increase its debt by at least that amount. The marketplace has requested assistance from the state, but it is not yet clear how much funding will be provided, as the federal budget deficit has already reached 5.7 trillion rubles, 1.5 times the plan for the entire year.
Could Wildberries drag Russia's financial sector down?
The state-owned bank VTB, which has long actively cooperated with the marketplace, will likely act as the lender. Denis Shtilerman, chief designer and co-founder of Fire Point, noted that marketplaces are the banks' main borrowers.
According to Shtilerman, Wildberries is one of the largest corporate borrowers in Russia, while VTB placed its bet specifically on the development of this marketplace.
"VTB's situation was already not very good, and now trillions of rubles in loans will turn out to be irretrievably lost. And this could bring down Russia's second-largest bank. And this needs to continue," Fire Point's chief designer is convinced.
Economist Vitaliy Shapran also confirmed to UNN that the bank and the marketplace cooperate closely.
"VTB planned to close the hole in its balance sheet at Wildberries' expense, while Wildberries, for its part, used the services of insurers controlled by VTB. The attack on Wildberries disrupted VTB's current plans; this is an established fact," he says.
The institution's financial indicators had been deteriorating even before the attacks began and continue to decline. The bank has already reported worsening results: net profit for the first half of the year was nearly 20% below forecast, while expectations for the second half of the year were also revised significantly downward. In addition, the bank has already begun to restrict depositors' access to their money. According to Shapran, this is a forced measure, but it could be long-term.
According to the economist, VTB may receive liquidity from Russia's Central Bank, but the latter is in no hurry to do anything because it is expensive.
The sanctions-hit Russian economy has already suffered a significant blow from strikes on oil-refining facilities. The domestic fuel consumption deficit has reached 35%. Now the financial sector is also beginning to falter.
"The Kremlin has no stabilization tools other than agreements with Iran and the Houthis to destabilize the Middle East in order to drive up oil prices. The current economic crisis in the Russian Federation has gone very far and, as the first half of 2026 shows, this crisis can be treated with high prices for Russian oil, but over a fairly long period—at least 6 months. It is unlikely that the Kremlin will succeed," Vitaliy Shapran believes.