A Kremlin official has stated that the number of soldiers injured in the conflict in Ukraine has significantly contributed to Russia’s leading position in the manufacturing of prosthetic limbs.
Deputy defence minister Anna Tsivilyova, reportedly related to President Vladimir Putin, shared at a conference in Vladivostok that soldiers returning from combat have spurred innovation in prosthetics in Russia.
She stated at the Eastern Economic Forum, “We are likely leading in this field now.”
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“It is precisely the participants in the special military operation who have brought us to this level of priority,” she mentioned, referring to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine using the country’s terminology.
Last year, Putin mentioned that approximately 700,000 Russian troops were engaged in the conflict in Ukraine, but Moscow has kept the exact number of soldiers killed or injured a closely-guarded secret.
According to the British Ministry of Defence, more than a million Russian troops have been killed or injured since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine commenced on February 24, 2022.
This figure is consistent with a recent study by the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), which estimates Russian military fatalities to be as high as 250,000 and total casualties, including the wounded, to exceed 950,000.
The impact of the high casualty rate is evident in Russia’s funeral industry, which saw a 12.7% increase in earnings from January to April 2025 compared to the previous year, as well as the growing number of veterans returning home with missing limbs.
Russian government statistics reveal a 65% increase in prosthetic limbs issued in 2024 compared to 2021.
Anna Tsivilyova has faced sanctions from the United States, European Union, and Britain due to her involvement in Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
She is reportedly the daughter of Putin’s first cousin, with the UK identifying her as “Putin’s first cousin once removed” and the EU listing her as a “close relative” of the Kremlin leader.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/05/russia-prosthetic-limbs-manufacture-ukraine-war
