70 Percent of Russia’s Afghan and Chechen War Veterans Suffered from PTSD, and the Figure for Its Ukrainian War Vets May be as High

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Dec. 6 – According to a 2015 Serbsky Institute report, 70 percent of the Russian veterans of fighting in Afghanistan and Chechnya suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), seldom got the necessary treatment, and engaged in self-destructive and often criminal behavior (kommersant.ru/doc/2691719).

            Now, Russian experts say, an equally large share of the 300,000 plus Russians who have taken part in Putin’s war in Ukraine may suffer from the same disorder and the same consequences because once again the Russian authorities have failed to provide the support these men need (themoscowtimes.com/2022/12/05/scarred-by-war-returning-russian-soldiers-struggle-to-adapt-to-civilian-life-a79550).

            So far, few combatants have returned to Russia except those who have been wounded because the Russian command facing shortages of men cannot afford to allow for the kind of rotations many might have expected. But when larger numbers do return, that will constitute a serious threat to Russian social stability and even the political system itself.