INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Ukraine&s top government economic adviser Oleg Ustenko said on Thursday that invading Russian forces have so far destroyed at least $100
billion worth of infrastructure, buildings and other physical assets, Reuters reported.According to Reuters Ustenko, chief economic adviser
to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, told an online event hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics that the war
has caused 50% of Ukrainian businesses to shut down completely, while the other half are operating at well below their capacity.He said the
damage estimate is &very approximate& and includes roads, bridges, hospitals, equipment and other assets.Asked how such a reconstruction
effort could be financed, Ustenko said part of it could come from Russian assets that are frozen throughout the world, including Russian
central bank assets held outside the country and immobilized by Western sanctions
The seized assets of wealthy Russian oligarchs could also be transferred to a reconstruction fund, he added.Asked about the resilience of
Ukraine&s financial system, and bank payment operations, Ustenko said: &Look, we are doing, I would say, OK under the current
circumstances.&He said Ukraine&s fiscal reserves are currently at about $27.5 billion, down from about $30 billion before the
invasion.Despite some pressure on the hryvnia currency, Ukrainians in areas not occupied by Russian forces are able to access cash via ATMs
and supermarket cashiers without the long lines seen in the first two days of the war, and credit card and other electronic payment systems
are working normally, he added.&Even in those cities surrounded by now by the Russian army…(residents) are able use their cards,& Ustenko
said.The post Ukraine war damage tops $100 billion so far first appeared on Ariana News.
