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It is equivalent to more than $330 million every month.
War is expensive. Salaries for troops, the production of equipment and ammunition, logistics, and a plethora of other expenses all add up — and since the nature of warfare means you have to spend money to replenish your losses, the bill can quickly skyrocket.
It is unknown exactly how much money Russia has spent on the war in Ukraine so far, but estimates from the early days of the conflict suggested that Russia coughed up between $500 million and $1 billion on the war every day.
Given that amount of money, $4 billion might not sound like much. But when you hear that this is the estimated loss that a single Ukrainian drone unit has inflicted on the Russian military in just one year, it becomes another story.
More than $330 million per month
On January 19, 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) posted a statement on Telegram claiming that the elite “Alpha” unit had destroyed or disabled Russian air-defense systems worth $4 billion in 2025 alone.
That is equivalent to more than $330 million every month.
The unit uses long-range drones to strike Russian targets deep behind enemy lines.
Article continues below.
719 targets struck in Russia
According to United24Media, Ukrainian drones struck 719 targets in Russia in 2025. The direct economic losses linked to the strikes are estimated at $15 billion, meaning the “Alpha” unit alone was responsible for more than 25% of Russia’s total economic losses.
Neither figure has been independently verified.
Sources: Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), United24Media Newsweek
