Ukraine’s air-raid sirens can sound for 10 hours a day. Its economy minister says every hour costs $45 million.

Ukraine's Economy and Environment Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko told The Guardian that air-raid alerts cost the country about $45 million an hour, with some days seeing up to 10 hours under alert as businesses halt and workers shelter. A new two-tier system distinguishes 'red' alerts for missile threats, requiring shelter, from 'yellow' alerts for drones, during which more than half of businesses keep operating despite continued risk.

On September 28, during a yellow alert, a Russian drone struck a building belonging to Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, killing two people. Kravchenko estimated total damage to factories, warehouses and data centers at about $10 billion since the start of the year, contributing to a 2026 budget shortfall Zelensky put at $27 billion, later reduced to $20 billion through spending cuts.

Kyiv says it needs $52.6 billion in external financing next year, with less than half secured so far. Overnight on September 30, renewed strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region killed at least three people, including a child, according to officials.

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