From 20 to 50 thousand Ukrainians have lost limbs since the beginning of the war, – WSJ

Illustrative photo from open sources

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia into Ukraine, between 20 and 50 thousand Ukrainians have lost one or more limbs. This is reported by The Wall Street Journal with reference to the Ukrainian charitable organization Houp Foundation and the German manufacturer of prostheses Ottobock.

Ottobock provides data on 50,000 Ukrainians who have lost limbs.  This figure is based on information from the government and medical institutions, the publication explains.

The actual figure may be higher, as the prosthetics process takes a long time.

The Houp Foundation charity organization from Kyiv reported, that 200,000 Ukrainians were seriously injured, 10% of cases required amputation.

These numbers can be compared with the First World War, when 67,000 Germans and 41,000 British lost limbs . At the time, amputation was often the only solution to prevent death after being wounded.

At the beginning of the war, the main causes of amputations were wounds received during artillery and rocket fire. Now many are injured by mines, installed along the front line.

40-80% of patients come to the hospitals of the Zaporizhzhia region, where the Ukrainian army is advancing, with injuries that require limb amputation, said doctor Kostyantyn Militsa.

The cost of prostheses can reach 50,000 euros. The Ukrainian authorities provide up to 20,000 euros for prosthetics for military personnel, and charitable organizations help civilians. Ukrainian doctors say that the health care system is currently overloaded, some patients can wait more than a year for a prosthesis.

Prepared by: Serhiy Daga