INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
If there are no disability payments or awards, can I at least get a parrot on my shoulder to fit the image? says Konstantin, a former
Russian soldier who lost his leg during the war in Ukraine, in a discuss social media.Konstantin is attending to the state-run Defenders of
the Fatherland Foundation, which helps Russian veterans reintegrate into civilian life including those who lost arms or legs in the
full-scale invasion.According to Russias Labor Ministry, a minimum of 54% of soldiers who have disabilities after fighting in Ukraine are
Even federal government officials acknowledge the scale of the issue.Thats a lot
We dont see this percentage of amputations amongst civilians with disabilities, said Alexei Vovchenko, deputy labor and social protection
minister.The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, created in 2023 by the individual decree of President Vladimir Putin, is headed by
Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova reportedly a relative of Putins.Starting in 2025, the structure plans to promote the image of
Russian veterans with impairments and amputations as heroes with enhanced abilities, Tsivilyova stated at a recent meeting.On social
networks, the structure shares stories of veterans who have received prosthetics through its programs.But in the comments under these
stories, soldiers relatives regularly complain about postponed payments and surgeries; unanswered requests to the structure and government
authorities; and efforts to find missing soldiers.And in the long term, much of these males will grapple with social stigma and re-adjusting
to civilian life.Why is whatever always painted so perfectly online when real life is absolutely nothing like that? We sent files to the
structure for additional payments on December 25, 2024 its now completion of March 2025! an injured soldiers relative complains in a comment
under a post about car giveaways.When a soldier is wounded on the front line, medics evacuate them from the battlefield
When it comes to severe injuries such as shrapnel wounds to the leg or stepping on a landmine field medical professionals at military health
centers typically perform amputations on the spot.After amputation, soldiers are moved to healthcare facilities in Rostov-on-Don, St
Petersburg or Moscow for additional surgery.From there, they undergo rehabilitation at a Defense Ministry healing center, the biggest of
which is Voronovo, situated simply outside Moscow
Six hundred former soldiers are currently being treated at the center, which was developed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020
At Voronovo, veterans stay in comfy double rooms with personal showers, TVs and internet access, journalists from the independent outlet
Vyorstka revealed.Men with prosthetic legs in a rehabilitation center for Russian servicemen who combated in Ukraine.Alexander Shcherbak/
TASSDisabled soldiers are served meals from Vkusno i Tochka, the fast-food chain that replaced McDonalds in Russia following the intrusion,
However, the rehab buildings do not have sufficient elevators to accommodate wounded veterans
Nor are family members are allowed onto the facilitys grounds.Previously, Russian soldiers hurt on the battleground were entitled to a
one-time payment of 3 million rubles ($35,300)
In November 2024, Putin approved a tiered system based upon the severity of the injury, ranging from 1 million rubles (about $12,000) for
minor injuries to 3 million rubles for extreme ones.While the soldiers go through rehab and get suitabled for prosthetics, the Defense
Ministry continues to pay their wages, stated Olesya Gerasimenko, an independent reporter and editor-in-chief of the Punctuation Marks
releasing house.Once they receive a main disability category, they arent sent back to Ukraine if the injury is major
Instead, theyre used positions in draft workplaces, barracks or rear systems inside Russia
But that includes a very different income 40,000 to 70,000 rubles [ $437 to $835], not the 250,000 to 300,000 [$ 2,954 to $3,571] they had
gotten utilized to, Gerasimenkotold The Moscow Times after talking to lots of veterans.Or military workers can resign, terminate their
agreement with the Defense Ministry and search for a task in civilian life, she said.While these soldiers undergo rehabilitation, their
wives try to browse the administration seeking state settlement and figuring out how to get their hubbies formally released from military
service so they are no longer counted as active-duty personnel.There havent been any payments yet, the system declines to speak with my
partner; nobody is going to release him
Hes still in the health center and we require cash for rehab, writes the partner of one wounded soldier on VKontakte.Ukraine war veterans in
sled hockey equipment supplied by the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation.fond _ ZO/ TelegramThe federal government has actually turned
to sports as a way to support these returning soldiers
The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation now arranges athletic competitions for amputee veterans, works with popular Paralympians to train
wounded troops and provides prosthetics and high-end presents like hand-controlled cars.Notably, the president supported the concept of
promoting adaptive sports, Tsivilyova said after a recent meeting with Putin.In mid-March, the structure startedpurchasing devices for sled
hockey, a sport for men who lost legs during the war in Ukraine.Sled hockey brought me back to a complete life and at the same time, it
sustained my inner drive to win! says former soldier Aman Aymukhambetov, captain of the Omsk Wings sled hockey team.Hockey is one of Putins
preferred sports, in addition to sambo but its far from the only choice for Russian veterans with disabilities.The Defenders of the
Fatherland Foundation also offers combat veterans training in alpine skiing and even wheelchair curling.This spring, 360 former soldiers
from 60 regions participated in a sporting competition called the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup.Your lungs are rupturing in your chest,
however you must press through it, pro-war vocalist Oleg Gazmanov singsto wounded soldiers in the competitions anthem
Remarks under the foundations post promoting the new anthem have been disabled.In parallel with the Cup, the structure launched a program
called Rehabilitation Through Sport, which provides prosthetics for amputee soldiers and then sends them to train at a ski resort in the
Kemerovo area of Siberia.The effort is supported by Rostec, the state-owned conglomerate that develops and exports state-of-the-art
commercial items, mainly for the defense sector.We have over 40 events and competitions on the calendar this year for veterans with specials
needs, per the instructions of our president, said Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev.Russias Paralympic Committee is likewise directly
involved in supporting injured soldiers
Sport program has gotten presidential funding since2023
In early 2025, the initiative was awarded another federal government grant of 12.5 million rubles (almost $150,000)
Over the previous 2 years, 750 injured participants in the intrusion of Ukraine have gone through rehab through sport.To join training
sessions with Paralympians, veterans should complete a special survey
In addition to height and shoe size, guys are asked to information how they were hurt, note their awards and military ranks and show their
impairment classification.The online form can not be submitted without an official battle veteran ID number which is acquired by means of a
long, complicated process.Despite the very best efforts of propaganda and state-backed structures, veterans who return home with
disabilities or amputations often have a hard time to adjust to civilian life.These soldiers feel deserted, Gerasimenko informed The Moscow
Times.They didnt get the affection and respect from civilians that specify propaganda had actually led them to expect
Some said that people on buses physically recoiled from them when they saw someone in consistent missing a leg.Beyond the social
preconception they face, a number of these men are not able to imagine a future on their own outside of the war, Gerasimenko said.Even
before the war, numerous contract soldiers didnt have a clear worldview, Gerasimenko described
Thats part of the factor they wound up on the cutting edge
Signing an agreement with the Defense Ministry was one of the few significant decisions in their lives an effort to discover some kind of
purpose.They generally understand precisely how theyll spend the cash: consumer goods, from new video gaming consoles to vehicles and
apartments, specifically if they have a family, Gerasimenko said
Beyond that what job to do, how to incorporate their impairment into everyday life, what kind of family future awaits they have no idea
They have no vision of the future.
