Economy Minister Oleksandr Kravchenko said alerts can sound for up to ten hours a day because of Russian strikes. "If people are in a bunker, business stops," he said. Employees are forced to head to shelters, regularly bringing work across a large part of the economy to a halt.
To cut the time lost to forced stoppages, the Ukrainian authorities introduced a differentiated alert system. A "red" level is declared when there is a missile threat and requires people to move to shelters, while a "yellow" level is issued for drone threats and allows businesses to keep operating.
According to Kravchenko, more than half of companies continue working during "yellow" warnings. The Insider notes, however, that this level does not guarantee safety.
According to The Insider, a Russian jet-powered drone struck the building of the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on 28 September during a "yellow" warning. Two people were killed, and staff were still working in the building at the moment of the strike. Meduza, citing Kravchenko, also reports a strike on the academy during a "yellow" alert and two deaths.
Russia is increasingly attacking facilities on which the Ukrainian economy depends — industrial enterprises, warehouses, logistics centres and data centres. Kravchenko called this an attempt to "destroy practically the entire economy." In his assessment, Russian strikes have caused damage to the country's fixed assets of roughly $10 billion this year alone.
Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council Ihor Klymenko said, as reported by Crimea.Realities, that 235 air alerts with a total duration of 261 hours — more than 10 days of continuous threat — have been recorded in Kyiv since 27 August. He said this is a new challenge for Ukrainian air defence, which needs rapid technological solutions and mass production of interception means.
Kravchenko noted that the authorities did not fully anticipate how quickly Russia would develop jet-powered drones and begin using them to attack any targets. The minister added that the possibility of allowing more private companies to buy Ukrainian air defence systems to protect their facilities is under discussion, but business will not be able to fully protect itself from Russian missiles and drones.
Russian strikes are increasing the burden on Ukraine's budget. Volodymyr Zelensky estimated the funding shortfall at about $27 billion. According to Kravchenko, the government has managed to narrow the gap to $20 billion by cutting spending and seeking additional domestic reserves. Kravchenko put Ukraine's need for external financing at $52.6 billion, of which about $20 billion has so far been secured. The authorities are discussing further tax increases and spending cuts.
Sources differ: Meduza, citing Kravchenko, gives the date of the strike on the National Academy of Sciences building as 28 February, while The Insider says 28 September. Both outlets report two people killed during the "yellow" alert level.