Missile alerts that halt business activity are costing Ukraine an estimated $45m for every hour, the country's economy minister told the Guardian, as Russia intensifies attacks on economic infrastructure.
Key facts
- Missile alerts that stop business cost Ukraine an estimated $45m (£34m) per hour, according to the economy minister.
- The figure was cited by Oleksandr Kravchenko, Ukraine's minister for economy and the environment.
- Russia has increasingly targeted industrial sites, warehouses, logistics hubs and datacentres.
- The minister described the strikes as an effort to 'destroy pretty much the entire economy'.
- Kyiv is searching for ways to keep the economy running amid intensifying bombardment.
Missile alerts are costing Ukraine an estimated $45m (£34m) for every hour they bring business to a halt, according to the country’s economy minister, as Kyiv searches for ways to keep its economy running under an intensifying Russian bombardment.
The figure was cited by Oleksandr Kravchenko, the minister for economy and the environment, in an interview with the Guardian. It highlights the trade-offs the Ukrainian government faces as it tries to keep normal life moving while protecting people during Russian strikes.
According to the Guardian, Russia has increasingly targeted the infrastructure that underpins Ukraine’s economy, striking industrial sites, warehouses, logistics hubs and datacentres. Kravchenko described the campaign as an effort to ‘destroy pretty much the entire economy’.
The economic cost stems in part from the disruption caused when air raid alerts send workers and the public into shelters. As the minister put it, ‘If people are in a bunker, business stops’ — a reflection of the tension between safety and keeping economic activity going.
Kyiv is weighing how to balance protecting its population against the financial toll of repeated stoppages, as it looks for ways to sustain output and employment under sustained attack.
The $45m-per-hour estimate offers a stark illustration of the economic pressure facing Ukraine, where each interruption to work adds to the broader strain of a wartime economy.
Why it matters
The figure puts a price on the daily disruption of war, showing how Russian strikes damage Ukraine's economy even when they do not hit their targets directly. For a country trying to fund its defence and sustain normal life, every hour lost to shelter time compounds the financial strain.
Frequently asked questions
How much do missile alerts cost Ukraine's economy?
Ukraine's economy minister estimates that missile alerts cost the country around $45m (£34m) for every hour they bring business to a halt.
Who gave the $45m figure?
The figure was cited by Oleksandr Kravchenko, Ukraine's minister for economy and the environment, in an interview with the Guardian.
What is Russia targeting in Ukraine?
According to the Guardian, Russia has increasingly targeted economic infrastructure including industrial sites, warehouses, logistics hubs and datacentres.