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Russia can’t afford its war on Ukraine. Here’s why

Weapons are astonishingly expensive and Ukrainians won’t surrender. But those aren’t Vladimir Putin’s only problems

By Adam Ramsay
Russia can’t afford its war on Ukraine. Here’s why
A batallion of Iskander missiles and their launchers costs $200-300m.
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The invasion of Ukraine began just 77 days after US troops limped out of Iraq, and just six months after the retreat from Afghanistan.

There’s something Putin seems to have failed to learn from these humiliations of the world’s strongest superpower.

Alongside death and devastation, Bush and Blair’s invasions brought vast bills. Academics estimate the post-9/11 wars cost the US government $8tn. This contributed to a boom in US government debt, which has increased from around $6tn to $28tn since 2001.

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Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0