The Ukrainian news outlet Economic Pravda (EP) reports that Russia’s air attack on Ukraine on 26 August cost approximately $1.26 billion.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, in the early hours of 26 August, Russia launched a massive attack involving multiple types of weapons:
- 109 Shahed-136/131 strike UAVs;
- 77 Kh-101 cruise missiles;
- 3 Kh-22 cruise missiles;
- 28 Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles;
- 6 Iskander-M ballistic missiles;
- 3 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles;
- 10 Kh-59/Kh-69 guided air-to-surface missiles.
The most expensive component of the attack was the Kh-101 cruise missiles, with 77 units costing an estimated $1 billion. This is followed by 28 Kalibr missiles, which cost $182 million, and 109 Shahed drones, which cost $21.3 million.
The report notes that the cost of a single Shahed drone can vary significantly depending on its origin.
“BPLA Shahed-136/131 can reportedly cost from $49,000 if it’s Russia’s production to $290,000 if imported from Iran,” EP explains. They used an average price of $193,000 per unit for their calculations.
Despite the massive scale of the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that while there was significant damage to energy infrastructure, repair work was already underway.
“There is a lot of damage to the energy sector, but repair work is already ongoing,” Zelenskyy said.
The report also mentions that the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant did not suffer critical damage in the morning attack.
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