U.S. Official Reveals Costs of Russian Operations in Ukraine

A senior official from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Pentagon, revealed today, Friday, that "Russia has likely spent about $211 billion on equipping its troops, deploying them, and maintaining their weapons for operations in Ukraine, and that Moscow has lost more than $10 billion due to canceled or postponed arms deals." The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told reporters: "You have heard us talk a lot about how important it is for the U.S. Congress to approve additional funding so that we can continue to support Ukraine." He added, "But I don’t think we have talked enough about the costs that Russia has already incurred and continues to incur." He went on to say that the war has cost Russia about $1.3 trillion in expected economic growth until 2026, and that around 315,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or injured so far. He further noted that since February 2022, Ukraine has destroyed or damaged at least 20 medium to large-sized ships of the Russian fleet and one Russian-flagged tanker in the Black Sea.