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War in Ukraine

Russia’s Most Valuable Tech Losses in Its War Against Ukraine

Russia’s Most Valuable Tech Losses in Its War Against Ukraine

A look at the dollars and cents behind Russia’s mounting battlefield losses and declining international arms deals as a result of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Audrey_macalpine
Audrey MacAlpine
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Once considered a powerhouse in advanced military technology, Moscow is now facing devastating losses on the battlefield and a sharp decline in its arms exports. Military operations have cost Russia an estimated $211 billion as of February 2024, a figure that undoubtedly has risen significantly since Ukraine began attacking pricey radar systems using Western-supplied long-range missiles. Russia is also believed to have suffered an additional estimated $10 billion in losses due to canceled or paused arms sales, the Pentagon reported.

Here’s a look at some of Russia’s most significant losses to date:

Which radar and air defense systems has Russia lost?

As of October 25, Ukrainian Forces have destroyed 982 Russian anti-aircraft warfare systems, according to the General Staff. Since the launch of the full-scale invasion Ukraine has also destroyed over 14 Zoopark advanced radar systems, of varying models, the most advanced costing over $23 million. These losses not only weaken Russia’s defensive network but also expose its vulnerabilities.

  • Nebo-M Radar (-$100,000,000) Ukrainian forces have destroyed 2 Nebo-M long-range radar stations and seriously damaged two others. In at least one case, the radar system was hit by the very thing it was trying to detect—a ballistic missile launched from a US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

  • Zoopark Counter-Battery Radars (-$23,000,000) Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian 1L219M Zoopark-1 counter-battery radar station. Ukraine used 4 long-ranged drones that cost around $2,300 to destroy this $23.86 million piece of equipment.

  • Podlet Radar System (-$5,000,000) In occupied Crimea, Ukrainian forces destroyed the “Podlet” radar system used to assist Russia’s S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.

  • S-400 Air Defense System (-$700,000,000) Using three US-supplied ATACMS ballistic missiles, Ukrainian forces seriously damaged a Russian S-400 air defense system, fully destroying its’ 92N6E radar station and two launchers, in the Kursk region.

  • Buk-M3 air defense system (-$50,000,000) The Buk-M3 is a modern Russian medium-range surface-to-air missile system. Ukrainian Armed Forces have destroyed or seriously damaged nearly ten Buk-M3 air defense systems.

  • Krasukha 4 (-$2,600,000) Underscoring the Russian army’s incompetence in perhaps one of Russia’s biggest tech losses, both financially and in terms of intelligence—the Krasukha 4. The Krasukha 4 is a broadband multifunctional jamming station mounted on a four-axle chassis. Ukrainian forces discovered the system in a shipping container left behind by Russian forces on the outskirts of Kyiv at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. A second system was destroyed outside of Zaphorizhzhia with two JDAM-guided bombs supported by drones.

How many Russian warships has Russia lost?

Russia’s Black Sea Fleet began the full-scale invasion with approximately 80 vessels, according to sources. Throughout the war, Ukraine claims to have destroyed nearly 30 of them, with an additional 15 in repair after being seriously damaged.

  • Moskva (-$750,000,000) The flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, sank after Ukrainian forces struck the vessel with the Ukrainian-made Neptune missile.

  • Novocherkassk (-$300,000,000) An amphibious assault ship dating back to 1987, sources claim recreating this ship willt ake Russia until at least 2030. Ukraine struck the assault ship with a series of cruise missiles.

  • Tsezar Kunikov (-$110,000,000) Launched in 1986 the Kunikov is one of the Black Sea Fleet’s landing ships, which Ukrainians destroyed using underwater drones.

  • Rostov-na-Donu (-$300,000,000) The modern submarine was attacked by Ukrainian drones and cruise missiles while under repair in a shipyard in Crimea.

  • Ivanovets (-$70,000,000) The corvette, armed with a supersonic missile, was destroyed by Ukrainian forces near Sevastopol marking another substantial blow to the Black Sea Fleet.

How many fighter jets and helicopters has Russia lost?

Russia’s air superiority has taken a turn for the worse. Last August sources estimated between 84 to 130 aircraft had been destroyed by Ukraine, a number that has no doubt increased over the past 16 months. Russia is also estimated to have lost between 100-350 helicopters, nearly 10% of its total fleet

  • Ka-52 Helicopters (-$16,000,000) Reports indicate that at least seven Ka-52 helicopters were lost in a single week during Ukraine’s counteroffensive efforts in the spring of 2023.

  • SU-Fighter Jets Russia’s Su-35 fighter jets have also suffered huge losses over Ukraine. Most notably its Su-57 fighter jet ($-90,000,000) Russia’s most advanced fighter which was put into action as recently as 2022. Russia only has a handful of these planes, many of which are believed to be prototypes. A number of Su-35 Fighter Jets (-$76,400,000) have also been shot down.

Other weaponry Russia has lost

In March of this year, sources claim Russia had lost 2,200 of its 3,100 tanks over the course of the full-scale invasion. At least 100 of these are Russia’s most advanced T-90 tanks. The same report claims Ukraine has destroyed more than 10,000 Russian guns and countless drones.

  • Orlan Drone (-$120,000) This drone is one of Russia’s most used drones in the field. They’re often used in pairs to guide missiles and one-way attack drones, such as the Lancet-3 and Iranian-made Shahed-136. The Orlan hunts its target, and the Lancet strikes. This has become a regular strategy for Russian forces when attacking Ukraine.

  • T-90 Tank (-$1,600,000) Overall, since the full-scale invasion, Russia’s tank losses in Ukraine have exceeded 9,000 units. In 2024 alone, Ukraine destroyed over 3,000 of them. Russia’s most advanced tank, the T-90, is proving no match against US-supplied Javellins and Anglo-Swedish-produced NLAWs, showing that these tanks cannot withstand 21st-century Western equipment.

  • Zircon Hypersonic Missile Though Russia has claimed the Zircon is impossible to intercept, Ukraine has destroyed two of these missiles. The Zircon travels at Mach 9 (almost 7,000 mph) and weighs approximately 400kg. This past March the missiles were intercepted over Kyiv by Ukrainian Air Defense. The cost of these missiles is unknown, expert suggest this hypersonic technology can range anywhere from $5 to $210 million.

Russia’s declining arms exports

In addition to the sheer cost of destroyed weaponry, Russia’s defense industry, once the second-largest arms exporter in the world, has seen a sharp decline since its occupation of Crimea. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions only exacerbated this decline.

Russian arms exports fell by 53% between 2014–23, dropping Russia to third place globally behind the United States and France, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

One of Russia’s largest defense partners, India, has begun diversifying its arms suppliers, reducing its reliance on Russian arms. For example:

  • S-400 missile systems: While India continues to purchase S-400 systems from Russia, delays caused by the war have pushed India to explore alternative suppliers.

  • Fighter Jets and Submarines: India is now considering deals with France for fighter jets and Germany for submarines.

The war in Ukraine has forced Russia’s defense industry to prioritize domestic needs, straining its capacity to fulfill international contracts. Rostec, Russia’s state-owned defense conglomerate, reported that high interest rates and production costs have made export contracts unprofitable. Its’ CEO Sergei Chemezov admitted that some defense firms are facing bankruptcy risks due to these economic pressures.

One of the ways diplomats hope to bring Russia to the negotiating table is by targeting its checkbook. With mounting losses, especially in recent months, Russia’s military-industrial complex is suffering severely. Russia’s massive losses of advanced military technology and declining arms exports underscore the financial and strategic toll of its war in Ukraine, revealing a growing vulnerability in its military-industrial complex and challenging its position as a global defense leader.

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