Putin’s war is already so expensive for Russia

The Russian war against Ukraine will cost Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin (70) dearly. According to Forbes Ukraine, Russia’s military costs after nine months of war are about $82 billion. This means that the war against Ukraine is expected to cost around ten billion dollars a month. By comparison, according to “Statista,” Russia’s military spending in 2021 was about $65.9 billion.

Supplying the troops took up the most money – $28.7 billion has already been spent on this. On average, a soldier costs about $200 a day. And in October, Russia drastically increased the number of troops. According to Forbes, 300,000 mobilized military personnel will add an additional $1.8 billion to the budget of the Russian Federation every month.

Russia has lost almost all its tanks

Ammunition and military supplies would be the major expenditures of the military during the war. According to various estimates, Russia is using between 10,000 and 50,000 shells per day in this war. Missiles and other missiles used by Putin’s forces to attack Ukraine are just as expensive. The Russians are said to have paid more than $5.5 billion for the supply of artillery alone.

Added to this are the numerous losses of equipment – especially tanks and planes being destroyed by Ukrainian troops. Russia reportedly lost 278 fighter jets with an average value of $18 million and 261 helicopters with an average value of $10.4 million. The tanks seem to be even worse. Almost everyone here would have been destroyed or in the hands of the Ukrainians.

According to Forbes, all equipment lost during the nine months of the war cost Russia $20.8 billion. However, a significant amount of this equipment was not completely destroyed – but taken over by Ukraine when Russian soldiers withdrew. According to Project Oryx, which tracks the losses of the sides using photo and video evidence on the Internet, the Ukrainian soldiers were able to capture at least 1,953 units of heavy weapons.

Compensation for dead soldiers in the billions

But not only material losses are increasing, but also personal ones. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, from October 24 to November 24, a record number of Russian soldiers fell in Ukraine – 17,470. Damages for the dead and injured were estimated at about $1 billion per month in the summer; in the last month of the war it was over $3.5 billion. The compensation for injuries would be twice as high.

According to the Russian research portal Istories, 90,000 Russian personnel have been lost since February 24, as reported in October. This includes the dead, but also the missing and wounded who can no longer return to military service. These figures are comparable to British intelligence reports released in the autumn. They assume 80,000 Russians killed. According to Ukraine, the number of Russian soldiers killed stands at 63,000.

The consequences of the war are strongly felt in their own country. In early November, Russia’s economy ministry said Russia’s economy shrank 5 percent year-on-year in September, more than the 4 percent recorded in the previous month. Financial experts told Reuters in September that the Kremlin will face a budget deficit that will “pull Moscow’s reserves to their lowest level in years.” (chs)