On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military initiated the largest aerial assault of the Ukraine war , prompting an economic-focused Ukrainian outlet, Ekonomichna Pravda (Economic Truth), to estimate the cost of the attack for Russia at a minimum of $1.273 billion. This calculation was based on the prices of the drones and missiles reported by the Ukrainian Air Force, which were used in the extensive assault.
According to Ukrainian officials cited by the Associated Press (AP), the strikes resulted in the death of at least 30 civilians across the country, including in the capital Kyiv, and left approximately 144 people wounded. The AP reported that Russia employed 122 missiles and numerous drones during the 18-hour bombardment. The assault caused damage to various structures, including a maternity hospital, schools, and residential apartments.
Ekonomichna Pravda, which cited data from Forbes, reported that Russia spent an estimated $1.17 billion on 90 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 long-range missiles missiles alone in the attack. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank in a Friday assessment noted Forbes “previously reported that Russian Kh-101 cruise missiles cost an estimated $13 million per missile.” the Ukraine war
The ISW (Institute for the Study of War) pointed out that Russian forces seem to be employing a strategy involving a higher volume of the costlier Kh-101 cruise missiles. This tactic aims to overpower Ukrainian air defenses and enhance the likelihood of hitting targets within Ukraine while using fewer quantities of less expensive missile variants.
The primary focus of the attack involved the deployment of Kh-101 missiles, but Russia also reportedly utilized a variety of other munitions, including Kh-47 hypersonic missiles, Kh-22/Kh-32 cruise missiles, S-300/S-400/Iskander-M ballistic missiles, Kh-47M2 “Kinzhal” missiles, Kh-31P anti-radar missiles, one Kh-59 missile, and 36 Shahed-136/131 drones.
According to Ekonomichna Pravda, the total expenditure for the assault amounted to $1,273,220,000.
Newsweek has attempted to contact the Russian Ministry of Defense via email for a response as of Friday.