UK intelligence points to large surge in prosthetic limb distribution in Russia

The UK’s Defence Intelligence has reported a sharp rise in prosthetic limb distribution in Russia, hinting at the growing Russian human toll of the military conflict in Ukraine.

In a report published on June 17, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) argues that a 53% increase in prosthetic limbs issued from the previous year reflect the surge in life-altering injuries among Russian troops. The findings follow recent claims by Ukrainian military officials that more than one million Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

The British MoD added that the number of arm prosthetics distributed in Russia rose by 75%, while wheelchair provision increased by 18%. It noted the rise could stem from a combination of an increase in battlefield injuries and delays in prosthetic distribution.

“Russia is almost certainly failing to provide necessary combat medical treatment at the front line, which in turn contributes to a greater number of serious long-term injuries amongst Russian soldiers,” the intelligence report said.

The UK intelligence assessment warned that the growing number of disabled veterans would “almost certainly have a detrimental long-term impact” on Russia’s medical and social welfare systems.

According to data from Russia’s Labor Ministry, 152,500 prosthetic limbs were issued to individuals with disabilities in 2024. While Moscow does not regularly publish detailed figures on its military losses—a fairly standard practice during wartime—the growing demand for prosthetic limbs may serve as one of the clearest publicly available indicators of the human cost of the conflict that began in February 2022.

On the other side of the conflict, the presence of war amputees has become increasingly visible in Ukraine too. According to a 2024 report by US broadcaster PBS, approximately 20,000 Ukrainians had lost limbs due to the war, with projections suggesting that the number of amputees could reach 50,000 by the end of the year. Former Ukrainian soldiers using prosthetic limbs are now a common sight across the country, reflecting the devastating physical and psychological toll of the prolonged conflict.

By Nazrin Sadigova