Stuck on the Battlefield, Russia Wages ‘Total War’ on Ukraine’s Economy

The New York Times ^ | Sept. 25, 2026 | Andrew E. Kramer

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The economic damage from Russian strikes, resulting in lost sales, disrupted workdays and logistical snarls, is in the billions of dollars.

The war of attrition between Russia and Ukraine is expanding to encompass both countries’ economies.

Military targeting officers are operating as economists in reverse. Increasingly, the objectives of missile and drone strikes are declining output, lost jobs and logistical bottlenecks.

Ukrainian officials are calling the current Russian campaign “total war” for its focus on economic impact, rather than on narrower goals like battlefield gains or infrastructure damage. While Moscow has targeted commercial assets throughout the war, its assaults have grown significantly in scale.

The intensifying Russian bombardment has followed Ukraine’s own effort to damage the Russian economy. Kyiv has used its expanding arsenal of domestically made drones to fire on Russia’s oil industry, its most valuable sector, while also targeting Russian e-commerce companies.

Russia has shifted its focus to economic warfare as its advances have largely stalled on the battlefield. “In a war of attrition, the economy becomes the prime target,” said Orysia Lutsevych, head of Ukraine Forum at Chatham House, a London-based research group.

Moscow is seeking, Ms. Lutsevych said, to raise the cost to Europe of sustaining Ukraine’s war effort. The growing bill provides fodder for far-right parties in countries like Britain, France and Germany that oppose giving aid to Ukraine.

Last month, President Volodymyr Zelensky told European allies that Ukraine needed $27 billion to plug a budget shortfall, after the European Union had already finalized a loan of more than $100 billion earlier this year.

The economic damage from Russia’s campaign will reach about $10 billion by the end of the year, Ukraine’s economy ministry has estimated. Much of the cost is indirect, in lost sales, disrupted workdays and logistical...

---

TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: notourwar; ohnoanyway; putinstoogery; russianbogeyman; whatsleftismopup

[packrat35]

Ukraine whining about Russia inflicting damage economically while they are doing it as much...

[ansel12]

Russia’s invasion continues through the years, I just hope that the American troops that President Trump has sent to Ukraine for training, remain safe and get some good training.

[PGR88]

Since at least WWII, “the battlefield” in war is air, sea, the civilian economy, infrastructure, media, etc...

Russia does not use “meat attacks” on Ukraine’s lines to keep casualties low. I not believe NY Times, CNN or British Media’s casualties figures, nor should you. They also realize they can attrit Ukraine front-line forces with overwhelming firepower.

Russia also does not want to mobilize their population. Probably because they recognize they may need to save that for a more general future war with NATO, particularly the powers of the EU.

[Arkady]

How do the NY Times choose in this conflict? Do they side with their CIA buddies and go with Ukraine, or stick with their old love Russia?
Considering both countries are below the replacement rate in births, neither will probably recover.

[rbg81]

Yeah, I know. Wasn’t Ukraine attacking Russia’s oil infrastructure?

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Deservedly

[Theophilus]

What “economy”?

[delta7]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ9VByjzB9g

“Russia tests its cable cutting drones on bridges.....”

I was wondering when Vlad would start bringing down the dozen or so bridges across the Dniepro river....it will be the final “ act” in this war story. We shall see.

[kiryandil]

The growing bill provides fodder for far-right parties in countries like Britain, France and Germany that oppose giving aid to Ukraine.

Revealing the Left-Wing Commie perspective of the Slimes...

How about "the idiocy of the lefty EU authoritarians, cutting off their cheap Russian energy to spite their face and spite their peasant riff-raff"?

[ebshumidors]

They quit loving Russia when the Soviet Union fell.