656 drones. 73 missiles. In a single night against Ukraine, at least 22 civilians killed and 145 wounded.

Look at the first number. 656 drones in one night is not an attack. It is a production line.

Cruise missiles are expensive, slow to build, dependent on imported components under sanction. Mass launch drones cost a fraction and roll out of a factory Russia has scaled at home. The ratio of nearly nine drones for every missile is not one night’s tactic. It is the signature of a war economy that traded expensive precision for cheap volume.

The mechanism is in what got through. Ukrainian defenses downed 602 of the drones and 40 of the missiles, spending six figure interceptors on four figure targets. But all eight hypersonic missiles in the barrage passed clean through, unintercepted. Cheap volume drains the defender’s budget, scarce high end weapons punch the actual holes.

Ukraine, and whoever pays its bill, bleeds money for every night Russia bleeds cheap inventory.

The news is the death toll. The structure is the cost curve. That is what decides how long this war still lasts.