Wartime destruction: regional assessment of damage to Ukraine’s infrastructure

Abstract

War brings human and material losses for both sides. Russia’s assault on Ukraine has caused terrible losses on the battlefield and by missile attacks across the country. Here, we estimate Ukraine’s losses of infrastructure since the invasion in 2022; they amount to hundreds of billions of dollars, mostly in the frontline areas of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia. Drawing on international experience, we also consider state actions before and after the end of the war which could contribute to rebuilding. The study deepens theoretical knowledge of damage assessments while drawing on the real available data on infrastructure destruction, with the aim of relating Ukraine’s development decisions to a general policy framework and international policy.