Staunton, Mar. 23 – Even before Putin launched his war in Ukraine, Russia was not producing enough prosthetic devices to handle domestic needs and was forced to import many of the most advanced bionic kind from the West. Now, the situation has deteriorated as casualties from the war increase and Western sanctions bite.
Russian medical officials have long complained about the failure of their government to develop the prosthetics industry in Russia, and their complaints have grown since the launch of the expanded invasion of Ukraine (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2022/07/russia-not-producing-enough-high.html).
But instead of ramping up production and training more personnel for the prosthetics industry, the Kremlin has cut funding for both, thereby creating a situation in which ever more Russians who need such devices will not be able to obtain them anytime soon (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2023/11/moscows-decision-to-reduce-support-for.html).
Now the situation has reached crisis proportions (versia.ru/v-rossii-ne-xvataet-protezov-dlya-invalidov); and an anecdote is even circulating in Russia suggesting that no one should volunteer to fight until he checks out whether buildings and streets at home are wheelchair accessible (windowoneurasia2.blogspot.com/2024/03/putin-has-arrested-so-many-but-cant.html).
And all this is creating a specter that the longer Putin continues his aggression, the more likely it will be that Russian streets will resemble those in the USSR after World War II, with many former soldiers who have lost arms and legs forced to push themselves around on wheels and even beg for help.
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