The invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24 resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, millions of displaced people, and global economic unrest.
Here, we’ll make an attempt to estimate how much money and lives have been lost in this conflict.
Civilian and Military Casualties
Since the invasion started in February, both sides have reported losing military personnel. Since each nation is reluctant to acknowledge losses and frequently inflates the number of enemy fighters they have killed, precise numbers are difficult to come by.
The head of the Ukrainian armed forces, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, revealed this week in a public forum that the country has lost 9,000 soldiers.
The largest losses were in the eastern Donetsk and southern Mykolaiv regions, according to the Ukrainian military, which also claims to have killed or wounded 45,200 Russian military personnel.
In the meantime, the U.N. human rights office estimates that there have been more than 5,600 civilian deaths in the conflict in Ukraine.
There has been little information released by Russia regarding military casualties. In the first few weeks of the conflict, in March, local officials reported 1,351 deaths of their own soldiers, but they have not since provided any new statistics.
More than 5,000 Russian service members have reportedly been killed, according to independent Russian news outlet iStories, though the actual number may be higher.
Russian military officials estimated the number of dead and disabled Ukrainian soldiers at 16,000 in March.
Economic Cost
The invasion completely destroyed Ukraine’s economy. In April, the World Bank predicted that the Ukrainian economy might contract by 45% this year.
The gross domestic product of Ukraine, which is expected to reach $200.9 billion in 2021, will likely decrease by between 35% and 40% by year’s end, according to the country’s economy minister.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the conflict has caused over $113.5 billion in damage to Ukraine, with infrastructure for housing and transportation being particularly hard-hit. The KSE states that the nation will require more than $200 billion to recover.
According to the Agriculture Ministry of Ukraine, a blockade on the nation’s Black Sea ports has caused a 46% decrease in grain exports from the previous year, according to Reuters.
Despite a deal reached in July through U.N mediation allowing food shipments to leave Ukraine, the agriculture industry is still anticipated to suffer severely. The nation’s steel industry has also suffered.
In order to keep government offices open, staffed, and utilities running in Kyiv this year, the U.S. has already committed to providing $8.5 billion in financial assistance.
Since February, the European Union has given Ukraine billions of euros in financial assistance. More recently, a plan was developed to provide 8 billion euros in additional aid over the following six months.
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
According to the most recent United Nations estimate, more than 6.6 million Ukrainian refugees have been recorded across Europe. More than 3.8 million of them have applied for Temporary Protection or other national protection schemes in Europe.
According to UN officials, approximately seven million people have been internally displaced within Ukraine. Because of fighting, destroyed bridges and roads, and a lack of resources, approximately 13 million people are stranded or unable to flee the contested territory.
Destruction of Infrastructure
Since February, more than 130,000 buildings have been destroyed across Ukraine as a result of Russian shelling and missile strikes, according to research by the Kyiv School of Economics that used data from Ukrainian government ministries.
More than 15,400 miles of road have been damaged or destroyed, 311 bridges have been damaged or destroyed, and 188,000 personal vehicles have been damaged, destroyed, or seized.
According to the researchers, a huge variety of buildings have been damaged, destroyed, or taken over, including at least 115,000 private homes, 15,000 apartments, 2,290 educational facilities, including 798 kindergartens, 1,991 stores, 27 shopping centers, 934 medical facilities, 715 cultural facilities, 511 office buildings, 28 oil depots, and 18 civilian airports.
Territorial Control
Years prior to the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had occupied 6,500 square miles of eastern Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea, making up about 7% of the country’s 233,000 square miles.
The majority of the Kherson region in the south and all of Luhansk Province in the east, according to Ukrainian officials, are now under Russian control.
Please, contact us for more information, subscribe to our email list for news updates or leave a comment below.