Vsevolozhsk (Russia) (AFP) – “It was my first injury,” says Dmitri, a former member of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, who lost a leg in Ukraine. He walks again today thanks to a prosthesis made near Saint Petersburg in a workshop whose patient population has changed over the past four years, a reflection of the war.

Published on: 02/17/2026 - 2:01 p.m.

This 54-year-old man, who had already fought in Syria and the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass before the neighboring country's large-scale offensive launched in February 2022, recounts his injury with an almost detached smile.

He remembers his unit being bombed as it crossed the Dnieper River and then seeing his right leg torn off lying next to him. “It was my first injury, I was almost surprised after so many fights,” says Dmitri.

He also suffered a serious abdominal injury, now replaced by an artificial wall, after eight months in hospital and a year in a wheelchair.

“Here, the atmosphere is family, almost calming. You immediately feel relaxed,” assures this man with a full beard who goes by the nom de guerre “Barmak”.

Since Moscow launched its offensive against Ukraine, several hundred thousand soldiers have been killed and wounded. Their exact number is not known, the Russian authorities remaining silent on this subject.

-"Everyone is equal"-

The prosthetics workshop has seen the profile of its patients evolve. Veterans have joined road accident victims and extreme sports enthusiasts.

“These are specific traumas, linked for example to mine explosions,” explains the director of the workshop, Mikhail Moskovtsev.

“For me, everyone is equal,” he continues. "I don't ask people where they come from, or why they are there. If they want to talk about it, they do it on their own. But it's obvious that I see the type of hurt."

The workshop employs a dozen people and offers mobility solutions ranging from simple equipment to cutting-edge prostheses, the cost of which can reach five million rubles (around 50,000 euros).

In Russia, the equipment is financed by the state. Veterans benefit from an individual rehabilitation program and can choose between public and private structures.

According to government figures, the supply of prostheses jumped by 65% ​​between 2021 and 2024, with 60,000 additional devices.

“This is the first time that social assistance and relations between the army and the state have been so effective,” says Dmitri “Barmak”, recalling the abandonment felt by veterans of Afghanistan (1989) and the Chechen wars (1994-1996 and 1999-2000).

"I remember very well the return of veterans from Afghanistan confronted with this famous phrase from bureaucrats: 'it wasn't me who sent you there'. It was the same with the soldiers of the Chechen wars," he says.

For his injury, he received compensation of 3 million rubles, or approximately 33,000 euros. “I bought my car with it,” he confides.

For Russian veterans, injury compensation now ranges between a few hundred thousand and 4 million rubles (approximately 44,000 euros).

-"Man's duty"-

The Kremlin uses these measures to promote the role of former soldiers, whose return to civilian life is often complicated.

Vladimir Putin has also implemented programs aimed at reintegrating them into society, notably via the “Time of Heroes” initiative, which aims to train a new managerial elite from the front.

Another Dmitri, same injury: his nom de guerre "Torg", 42 years old, lost his left leg in Ukraine.

This former construction worker came to consult Mikhail Moskovtsev's workshop for a prosthesis. He lost his leg near Bakhmut in 2024, after a drone hit his vehicle.

“I wouldn’t change anything, I wouldn’t give up my participation,” he says, without hesitation.

“My main motivation was to ensure that what is happening there stops there, so that the conflict does not extend to our territory,” said this father of two children, thus repeating the Kremlin's comments justifying its offensive in Ukraine by a threat from kyiv and the West towards Russia, which Ukraine and the NATO countries deny.

The Kremlin also promotes bravery in recruiting soldiers and frequently invokes memories of the Soviet Union's war effort during World War II.

“And then there is the duty of man,” adds “Torg”. “Defend your country with arms in hand when the situation really requires it,” continues the man who signed a contract with the army.

© 2026 AFP

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