From Heroes to Outcasts: The Struggles of Russian War Veterans Facing Disability and Disillusionment

«If there are no disability benefits or compensations, can I at least have a parrot on my shoulder to complete the image?» commented Konstantin, a former soldier from Russia who lost his leg during the conflict in Ukraine, on social media.

Konstantin was referring to the state-supported Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, which assists Russian veterans in adjusting to civilian life, including those who have suffered limb losses during the ongoing invasion.

According to the Russian Labor Ministry, over 54% of soldiers with disabilities resulting from the fighting in Ukraine are amputees, a reality that even government officials have acknowledged.

«That’s a significant number. We don’t see that level of amputations among civilians with disabilities,» remarked Alexei Vovchenko, the deputy labor and social protection minister.

The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation was established in 2023 following a decree by President Vladimir Putin and is led by Deputy Defense Minister Anna Tsivilyova, who is reportedly related to Putin.

Starting in 2025, the foundation aims to promote the image of disabled Russian veterans and amputees as “heroes with enhanced abilities,” Tsivilyova announced during a recent meeting.

On social media, the foundation shares the stories of veterans who have received prosthetics through its programs. However, in the comments, family members of soldiers frequently voice frustrations over postponed payments and surgeries, unanswered inquiries to both the foundation and governmental bodies, and the search for missing soldiers.

In the long run, many of these veterans will face issues of societal stigma and the challenge of returning to civilian life.

«Why do they always present everything so beautifully online when reality is so different? We submitted our paperwork to the foundation for extra payments on December 25, 2024, and now it’s the end of March 2025!» expressed a relative of an injured soldier in a comment under a post about car giveaways.

When a soldier is hurt on the battlefield, medics evacuate them from the front lines. For severe injuries, such as shrapnel wounds or landmine accidents, field doctors often perform amputations immediately at military hospitals.

Post-amputation, soldiers are sent to hospitals in Rostov-on-Don, St. Petersburg, or Moscow for further treatment.

After that, they go through rehabilitation at a Defense Ministry recovery facility, the largest being Voronovo, situated near Moscow. Currently, around 600 veterans are receiving care at this center, which was constructed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

At Voronovo, veterans occupy comfortable double rooms equipped with private bathrooms, televisions, and internet access, as reported by journalists from the independent outlet Vyorstka.

Disabled soldiers are provided meals by Vkusno i Tochka, the fast-food chain that took the place of McDonald’s in Russia following the invasion, and are allowed to smoke. However, there are not enough elevators in the rehabilitation buildings to accommodate the needs of injured veterans, and family members are prohibited from entering the facility’s grounds.

Previously, Russian soldiers injured in combat were entitled to a one-time payment of 3 million rubles ($35,300). In November 2024, Putin implemented a tiered compensation system based on injury severity, ranging from 1 million rubles (around $12,000) for minor injuries to 3 million rubles for critical ones.

While undergoing rehabilitation and receiving prosthetics, the Defense Ministry reportedly continues to pay their salaries, according to Olesya Gerasimenko, an independent journalist and editor-in-chief of the Punctuation Marks publishing house.

«Once they receive an official disability classification, they aren’t redeployed to Ukraine if the injury is serious. Instead, they are offered positions in draft offices or rear units inside Russia, but that comes with a significantly lower paycheck — between 40,000 to 70,000 rubles ($437 to $835), rather than the 250,000 to 300,000 rubles ($2,954 to $3,571) they were accustomed to,» Gerasimenko told The Moscow Times after interviewing numerous veterans.

«Alternately, military personnel have the option to resign, terminate their contract with the Defense Ministry, and seek employment in civilian life,» she added.

While these soldiers are in rehabilitation, their spouses navigate bureaucratic processes to secure state compensation and determine how to officially discharge their husbands from military service so they are no longer classified as active-duty personnel.

«There’s been no financial support yet; the unit refuses to communicate with my husband; no one will discharge him. He’s still in the hospital and we need funds for rehabilitation,» lamented the wife of a wounded soldier on VKontakte.

The government has begun utilizing sports to aid these returning soldiers. The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation now organizes athletic competitions for amputee veterans, hires well-known Paralympians to train injured troops, and provides prosthetics along with high-end gifts like hand-controlled vehicles.

«Notably, the president has backed the promotion of adaptive sports,» Tsivilyova remarked following a recent meeting with Putin.

In mid-March, the foundation began acquiring equipment for sled hockey, a sport specifically designed for men who lost their legs during the conflict in Ukraine.

«Sled hockey brought me back to a fulfilling life — while simultaneously igniting my inner drive to win!» stated former soldier Aman Aymukhambetov, captain of the Omsk Wings sled hockey team.

Hockey is one of Putin’s preferred sports, alongside sambo, but it isn’t the sole opportunity available for Russian veterans with disabilities. The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation also offers training for combat veterans in alpine skiing and even wheelchair curling.

This spring, 360 former soldiers from 60 regions took part in a sporting event known as the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup.

«Your lungs are bursting, but you must push through,» pro-war singer Oleg Gazmanov sings to the wounded soldiers in the competition’s anthem. Comments have been disabled under the foundation’s post promoting the new anthem.

Alongside the Cup, the foundation launched an initiative entitled Rehabilitation Through Sport, which provides prosthetics for amputee soldiers and then sends them to train at a ski resort in the Kemerovo region of Siberia.

This program is backed by Rostec, a state-owned conglomerate that develops and exports advanced industrial products, primarily for the defense sector.

«We have more than 40 events and competitions scheduled for veterans with disabilities this year, according to our president’s directives,» stated Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev.

Russia’s Paralympic Committee is also directly involved in assisting wounded soldiers. Its «We Are Together. Sport» initiative has received presidential funding since 2023, and in early 2025, it was awarded an additional government grant of 12.5 million rubles (approximately $150,000).

Over the last two years, 750 wounded participants from the invasion of Ukraine have benefited from rehabilitation through sports.

To participate in training sessions with Paralympians, veterans must fill out a specific questionnaire. In addition to providing their height and shoe size, men are asked to describe their injuries, list their awards and military ranks, and indicate their disability classification. The online form cannot be submitted without an official combat veteran ID number, which is obtained through a long and complex process.

Despite the government’s efforts in propaganda and the support of state-funded foundations, veterans returning home with disabilities or amputations often find it challenging to adapt to civilian life.

«These soldiers feel abandoned,» Gerasimenko conveyed to The Moscow Times. «They did not receive the admiration and respect from civilians they had been led to expect by state propaganda. Some have reported that civilians on buses physically recoiled upon seeing someone in uniform missing a leg.»

Beyond the social stigma they encounter, many of these men struggle to envision a future outside the battlefield, Gerasimenko explained.

«Even before the war, many contract soldiers lacked a clear vision for their lives,» Gerasimenko noted. «That’s part of why they ended up on the front lines. Signing a contract with the Defense Ministry was one of the few significant decisions they made — an attempt to find purpose.

«They usually know precisely how to spend their money — on consumer goods, from new gaming consoles to cars and apartments, especially if they have families,» Gerasimenko added. «But beyond that — which job to take, how to integrate their disability into daily life, what type of family future lies ahead — they are lost. They have no foresight for the future.»