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Mar 2022
18m 4s

How much is the Ukraine war costing Russ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Munitions, equipment losses, sanctions, isolation - Vladimir Putin's decision to invade has come with a rapidly increasing price tag. Just the cost of prosecuting the war is proving astronomical, as Edward Arnold of military think tank RUSI tells Ed Butler.

Then there's the economic blowback - the freezing of the central bank's reserves, the exclusion from international finance, the boycotting by key international companies. Over the coming months, Russian industry could grind to a halt, while citizens could face food shortages, according to economist Maxim Mironov of IE Business School.

Take the example of aviation - soon half the planes in Russia could be grounded for lack of spare parts, says consultant Rob Watts of ACC Aviation. But will this be enough to convince Putin and the political elite around him to pull out of Ukraine? The Ukrainian political scientist Olga Chyzh says don't hold your breath.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: Troop train carrying Russian tanks; Credit: Russian Defence Ministry\TASS via Getty Images)

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