Russia does not officially provide figures regarding the number of soldiers killed or wounded in the war against Ukraine. This information is classified and so far, the authorities have only made occasional statements regarding casualties.

In October 2023, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection Alexei Vovchenko, said that 54% of severely wounded Russian soldiers had had at least one limb amputated, and of these one fifth had required upper limb amputations.

At the end of 2024, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova, who is described by uncensored Russian media outlets as being a relative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, put the total number of war-disabled veterans at 110,000.

At the beginning of this year, several videos showing commanders of the Russian army sending wounded soldiers back into battle against Ukraine were shared almost simultaneously on the Russian social network VKontakte. In one case, the soldiers were in a forest and several were moving around on crutches.

In another video, a military policeman could be seen confronting two men in camouflage, one of whom was leaning on a stick. He threatened them with sexual violence.

The authorities later confirmed the incident and said that the man, who had tortured his........

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