The Ukrainian economy may shrink by up to 50% in 2022 if Russian troops keep launching large-scale missile strikes on the country’s infrastructure, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Dec. 13, as cited by Interfax.
Russia’s continued attacks may add 10 percentage points to Ukraine's predicted GDP drop, he added.
Moscow began its campaign against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in early October. So far, Russia has launched six large-scale missile strikes on Ukraine – on Oct. 10, Oct. 17, Oct. 31, Nov. 15, Nov. 23, and Dec. 5.
The attacks have killed dozens of civilians in total and caused power and water outages across the country.
According to the Geneva Conventions, attacking vital public infrastructure is a war crime.
Even before the latest waves of attacks, in early October, the Economy Ministry reported that Ukraine’s GDP had dropped by 30% in 9 months.
Russia’s full-scale war and the weather, which has been rainy and affected the harvest in some regions, were critical reasons for the decrease in the first three quarters of 2022, according to the ministry.