Vladimir Putin’s government has dished out millions to buy prosthetics from Nato countries, including Germany.
The grisly uptick in demand for European prosthetics has been caused by the ongoing Russian war of aggression in Ukraine.
An estimated 1.2 million Russian soldiers have been killed, wounded or gone missing since the start of the war in February 2022, which is showing no sign of stopping.
The scale of the war means thousands of injured soldiers are returning from the front.
Russia is said to have imported £66 million worth of artificial limbs and joints from Germany in the first half of 2026 alone, over five times more than before starting the war.
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Belgium and the Netherlands, also Nato members, were also on the list for Russian orders.
In total, the Kremlin’s imports from EU countries were worth £126 million in the first half of 2026 alone.
One Ukrainian report mocked Putin: ‘You’re at war with NATO. You could have ordered them from friendly North Korea or Myanmar.’
Kremlin spent the most on prosthetic arms, legs and related components, accounting for around £34 million of the spend, followed by £31 million dished out on artificial hip, knee and other joint replacements, according to Forbes Russia’s analysis of Eurostat data.
Despite the massive Russian war machine, the country’s domestic prosthetics production has not managed to keep up with skyrocketing demand.
Disabled people in the country received 152,661 artificial arms and legs from the government in 2024, compared with 99,515 the previous year, according to the Russian ministry of labour.
The money spent on prosthetics could have paid for 1,000 new schools and 200 hospitals.
And every Russian child born since the war started could have received around £9,400, while pensions could have been boosted to more than double.
Meanwhile, Russia is said to be paying more than £71 million every day in benefits to the wounded victims of the ‘meat grinder’ and their relatives.
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