When Russia’s deputy defence minister hailed the invasion of Ukraine for advancing the prosthetics field, it was a little like praising a house fire for boosting the local construction business.

For the Kremlin, it is a silver lining of sorts in the context of more than one million Russian soldiers killed or injured – and counting – in the past almost four years of fighting.

Amid the rising number of Russians with disabilities, the government has announced that it plans to spend around £1 billion on prosthetics in 2026.

Compared to the pre-war period, the fund is three times what the country typically spends.

Janis Kluge, a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, shared the data, pointing to the budget in 2021, which allowed for less than £300 m

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