Wounded Soldiers Driving Prosthetics Innovation, Senior Russian Defense Official Says

After Losing Limbs to War, Russian Amputee Veterans Grapple With Officials’ Empty Promises

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A senior Defense Ministry official said Thursday that the number of Russian soldiers wounded fighting against Ukraine had made the country a world leader in prosthetic limb development.

Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova, reportedly a relative of President Vladimir Putin, said veterans returning from the battlefield had become a "driver" in prosthetics innovation.

"We're probably a leader in this field now," Tsivilyova said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. "Those taking part in the special military operation have enabled us to reach a top level, placing us ahead of many countries," she said, using the Kremlin's term for the war.

Russian government data shows that it issued 60,000 more prosthetic limbs in 2024 than it did in 2021, marking a 65% increase.

Moscow keeps the number of soldiers killed and wounded in the war a top secret and rarely discloses information about casualties. The

Putin said last year that around 700,000 Russian troops were fighting in Ukraine.

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