Ukraine cannot cover its war costs: €163.6 million per day and a budget deficit

The cost of the war for Ukraine in 2026 has risen to approximately €163.6 million per day, compared to around €120.5 million in 2024.

This was reported by Reuters, citing Roksolana Pidlasa, chair of the Verkhovna Rada’s budget committee.

According to Pidlasa, the rise in expenditure is driven by inflation, an increase in troop numbers, social payments to the families of those killed, and greater ammunition consumption. In the first eight months of 2026, Ukraine spent approximately €36.2 billion on defense, not counting military aid in kind. Domestic revenues and borrowing amounted to approximately €33.6 billion.

“Unfortunately, this year the war has become so expensive that we cannot cover even our own share of the costs,” Pidlasa said.

At the same time, the economic damage from Russian strikes is growing. According to Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko, damage to infrastructure and fixed assets in 2026 alone is estimated at nearly €8.6 billion. The broader damage from attacks and the effective blockade of ports amounts to approximately 1.5 percentage points of GDP.

Due to strikes on southern Ukraine, export revenues of approximately €34.4 billion are at risk.

“We expect a very difficult winter, both in terms of critical infrastructure, which is being destroyed daily by Russian attacks, and in terms of the overall economic situation in the country,” Kravchenko said.

It was previously reported that Ukraine has begun restricting government spending due to a slowdown in international aid, with possible delays to social payments. The outlet analyzed the reasons behind the shortfall in Ukraine’s military budget in a separate article.