Russia operations in Ukraine have probably cost up to $211 billion

MOSCOW: Russia has probably spent up to $211 billion in equipping, deploying and maintaining its troops for operations in Ukraine and Moscow has lost more than $10 billion in canceled or postponed arms sales, a senior US defence official said on Friday.

The detailed costs for Russia in its nearly two-year-long invasion comes as President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to push the US House of Representatives to take up a $95 billion package of international security assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan.

“I don’t think we’ve talked quite as much about the costs that Russia has already incurred and continues to incur,” the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters.

The war had cost Russia an expected $1.3 trillion in previously anticipated economic growth through 2026 and about 315,000 Russian troops had either been killed or injured so far, the official added.

Republican US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson indicated on Wednesday he has no immediate plans to allow the chamber to vote on the assistance package.

Ukraine’s leadership sees the funding as crucial as it continues to fight an invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Without supplemental funding we will not be able to continue to supply Ukraine’s air defenses...We will see more civilians dying,” the official said.

Russia has carried out regular air strikes on cities and civilian infrastructure far behind the front lines.

In another cost for Russia, the official said that Ukraine has destroyed or damaged at least 20 medium to large Russian Navy vessels and one Russian flag tanker in the Black Sea.

Ukraine destroyed a Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel’s port side on Wednesday and caused it to sink, Kyiv’s military spy agency and armed forces said.

Ukraine has used uncrewed navy drones packed with explosives to attack Russian warships to try to drive them out of parts of the Black Sea, making it possible for Ukraine to open a shipping corridor along a traditionally key export route.