Ukraine says missile alerts are costing $45m an hour as Russian strikes intensify

Ukraine's economy minister has said air raid alerts are costing the country an estimated $45m for every hour they force businesses to stop work. Oleksandr Kravchenko said the disruption is part of a wider Russian campaign against industrial and logistics infrastructure, with strikes increasingly hitting warehouses, datacentres and other economic assets. He made the comments in Kyiv as the government tries to keep commercial activity going during repeated alerts.

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Kravchenko said the attacks have become more frequent and more disruptive, with sirens sometimes lasting up to 10 hours a day. He said workers are sent to shelters whenever a red alert is issued, bringing operations to a halt. He also said Russia has developed jet-powered drones that have been used in recent strikes on the capital.

According to his estimate, Russian attacks this year have caused about $10bn in damage to fixed assets. To reduce the economic impact, Ukraine has introduced a two-tier warning system. Under the system, a red alert signals a missile threat and requires people to seek shelter, while a yellow alert is used for drone threats and allows many businesses to remain open.

Kravchenko said more than half of businesses continue operating during yellow alerts, although he warned that the distinction does not remove the danger. That point was underscored when a Russian jet-powered drone struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv during a yellow alert, killing two people while staff were still inside. The figures highlight the pressure Russia's air campaign is placing on Ukraine's wartime economy.

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Beyond the immediate damage from strikes, repeated shutdowns can interrupt trade, manufacturing and services across the country. The government's warning system is an attempt to balance civilian safety with the need to keep businesses functioning, but the latest attacks suggest that balance is becoming harder to maintain. The issue is also significant because industrial output, logistics and energy-related infrastructure are central to Ukraine's ability to sustain itself during the war.

Kravchenko, who joined the government in the summer after a career in consulting, said the attacks were aimed at undermining the economy as a whole. He described Russia's strikes as an effort to destroy "pretty much the entire economy", reflecting the scale of the challenge facing Kyiv. The minister's comments also point to the growing role of drones in the conflict, especially as Russia adapts its tactics against urban and economic targets.

Ukraine has been trying to keep normal life moving while protecting people from what officials see as an escalating campaign. What remains unclear is how much further the economic losses will rise if the strikes continue at the current pace. It is also not clear how effective the two-tier alert system will be over time, especially if drone attacks continue to blur the line between lower-risk and high-risk warnings.

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