Taking out a Russian soldier costs twice as much as hitting the Kremlin's infrastructure, Ukraine says
Ukraine's defense ministry reports that its new 'Mission Control' digital system has optimized drone warfare, revealing that striking infrastructure is significantly cheaper than targeting individual soldiers. The data suggests that for every dollar spent on drone strikes, Russia incurs five dollars in losses.
Why it matters
The integration of digital command-and-control systems in modern warfare demonstrates how data analytics are being used to maximize economic and tactical efficiency on the battlefield.
A Ukrainian soldier prepares the Bliskavka attack drone in Donetsk. Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images Ukraine said its June data shows it costs about $3,000 to take out a Russian soldier. Meanwhile, it costs far less to strike an infrastructure facility with a drone, it said. Kyiv said its data comes from over 230,000 battlefield reports processed a week. Ukraine has calculated the average cost of its drone strike missions against Russia, and killing or wounding personnel ranks at the top. The Ukrainian defense ministry said on Monday that, in June, striking a Russian serviceman cost its forces $3,032. Attacking one piece of Russian equipment cost $2,674, while hitting an infrastructure facility cost $1,487 — less than half the price of striking a soldier, per ministry figures. The announced cost comes as Ukraine has pursued making its drone attacks more cost-effective over the years.
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