Russia Reveals 54 Percent of Its Wounded In Ukraine Receive Amputations

It is unclear why such a huge number of wounded have limbs amputated. It may be that front line medical care is so poor that amputation is necessary because of infection and physical deterioration. But it may also be that amputation is the least expensive option for the economically-challenged Russian medical system. 

In a related revelation, the proposed Russian national budget for 2024 contains funding for the families of 102,700 soldiers who have been killed in action in Ukraine, a far higher number than the Kremlin has publicly acknowledged. JL

Kaitlin Lewis reports in Newsweek:

More than half of Russian soldiers who have received medical attention after being wounded in the war in Ukraine required amputations. 54% of such injuries are "recognized as disabled with amputation of a limb. This is really a glaring problem. Among civilian disabled people, we don't have such a percentage with amputation." 80% of medical examinations that lead to amputations take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Russia's proposed budget for 2024 may provide insight into the number of soldiers killed so far in the war. Analysis shows the Kremlin allocated funding to 102,700 military families whose relatives have been killed.

More than half of Russian soldiers who have received medical attention after being wounded in the war in Ukraine required amputations, according to Russian Deputy Labor Minister Alexei Vovchenko.

Vovchenko's comments were made Tuesday during a roundtable discussion with Russian senators, as reported by the government's daily newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta. He did not provide an exact number of Russian soldiers who have suffered injuries severe enough to require medical attention but said that about 54 percent of such injuries are "recognized as disabled with amputation of a limb."

 

"This is really such a glaring problem. It's a lot," Vovchenko continued. "Among civilian disabled people, we don't have such a percentage with amputation."

Roughly 80 percent of medical examinations that lead to amputations take place in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Vovchenko said at the meeting. He also said 84 percent of soldiers who pass medical and social examinations are recommended for "technical means of rehabilitation."

"These are not only prosthetics. These are wheelchairs of various types. These are also special clothing, orthopedic shoes," Vovchenko said. "All the necessary kit that is required for an individual rehabilitation and habilitation program. These appointments are already underway."

 

Moscow has not publicly disclosed an up-to-date number of its troops injured in the war. In August, U.S. officials gave an estimate of between 170,000 and 180,000 injuries, according to The New York Times. In the same report, Western officials also estimated that up to 120,000 Russian soldiers had been killed in Ukraine.

 

Earlier this week, the Russian independent news outlet Mozhem Obyasnit reported that Moscow's proposed budget for 2024 may provide insight into the number of soldiers killed so far in the war. Mozhem Obyasnit's analysis of the budget plan said the Kremlin has allocated funding to 102,700 military families whose relatives have been killed.

 

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly offered a much higher estimate of Russia's casualties. On Monday, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Facebook that Moscow has lost 288,000 troops since launching its invasion in February 2022.

 

The nearly 20-month-long war has meant substantial troop losses for Ukraine as well. U.S. officials said in August there have been close to 70,000 deaths since the start of the conflict.