Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivileva on Thursday praised wounded troops from the war in Ukraine, saying they helped cement Russia’s leading role in limb prosthetics.
Tsivileva, a first cousin once removed of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, was appointed amid controversy over her inexperience and family ties to the Kremlin leader.
Speaking at a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum, Tsivileva said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has dramatically sped up prosthetics development.
She said 11.5 million Russians with disability in Russia before the 2022 invasion now enjoy better lives in part thanks to the soldiers’ lost limbs.
“Participants in the special military operation [SVO], our veterans, became drivers through whom the state began to very actively implement world experience and developments,” Tsivileva said, referring to the invasion using the Kremlin-approved term.
“It is no secret that 11.5 million disabled people who lived here before the SVO did not have the opportunity to receive the necessary rehabilitation,” she added.
Ukraine estimates Russian troop casualties since 2022 at 1,085,410 dead and wounded combined, as of Thursday, Sept. 4. While the number of maimed Russian soldiers remains unclear, Russia’s independent outlet Meduza reported in November 2024 that disability registrations had surged for the first time in 11 years.
On Thursday, Tsivileva also said Moscow now has a more comprehensive program for prosthetics – such as teaching maimed troops how to use them.
She said that before the invasion, soldiers were just given the prosthetics and “[did] not understand how they function,” which she said is no longer the case.
“The cycle includes competent preparation, prosthetics and training on how to use the prosthesis. And not just use it, but specifically, maximally replenishing the lost function,” she said.
Tsivileva also boasted that prosthetics in Russia are not inferior to those in China.