Danylo Lytvynenko, a 20-year-old soldier who was blown up by an anti-personnel mine and underwent amputationat the UNBROKEN center in Lviv, Ukraine on March 11, 2023.
Olena Znak/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Between 20,000-50,000 Ukrainians are estimated to have had an amputation during the invasion.
These are levels not seen since World War 1, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Amputee rehabilitation can be expensive for civilians who often rely on charities to help.
The number of people in Ukraine requiring amputations since Russia’s invasion has risen to levels not seen since World War I, according to The Wall St Journal.
Russia’s heavy use of missiles and artillery, as well as its deployment of multi-layered mines on the 600-mile front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, has led to a dramatic increase in serious injuries, the report said.
Before the war, Ukraine had several thousand amputations annually. That figure has risen to around 50,000 since the start of the war, 17 months ago, the outlet said.
It cited figures from the Kyiv-based Houp Foundation charity, which estimated that around 200,000 Ukrainians have been seriously injured during the war, and typically around 10% of serious injuries involve an amputation.
The publication reported that the figure may be much higher, as many amputations are only recorded months after the patient undergoes the procedure.
During World War I (1914-1918) around 41,000 Britons required amputations, and around 67,000 Germans, the publication notes.
“My grandfather founded our company in 1919 to help…German soldiers returning from World War I wounded by artillery fire, who lost their arms, legs or eyesight—this is exactly what we see in Ukraine,” Hans Georg Näder chairman of Ottobock, the world’s largest prosthetics manufacturer, told The WSJ.
The WSJ added that while military personnel requiring amputations are given $20,000 by the government, civilians often struggle to pay for the procedure and many are reliant on charities. It said there is a long waiting list for prosthetic limbs in many areas.