In 2023, 2.17 million men with disabilities aged 31 to 59 years were registered in Russia – this is a record figure for eight years. As evidenced by the Pension and Social Insurance Fund data, analysed by Vorstka.
In 2022, there were 1.67 million men with disabilities in Russia in this age category, so the increase over the year was 30% – 507 thousand people. In 2020, this number was 2 million people; in 2016, when these data were published for the first time, it was 1.97 million.
In addition, in 2023 in Russia, there were 290 thousand men with disabilities aged 18 to 30 years. Rosstat hid data on this category for 2022.
Demographers have linked the rise in the number of men with disabilities to the war. “I think that there are tens of thousands, if not hundreds, of disabled military personnel. If the increase is smaller, it means these are partially or completely hidden,” demographer Alexey Raksha said.
In early March, the British Ministry of Defence intelligence announced that after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia lost, according to the department’s estimates, more than 355 thousand military personnel killed and wounded. In February this year, daily figures reached their highest levels since the start of the war. Thus, the Russian army lost an average of 983 people killed and wounded per day.
The sharp increase indicates Russia’s readiness to wage a war of attrition using an unlimited number of forces. “Although it is costly in terms of human lives, such tactics increase pressure on Ukrainian positions along the entire front line,” the intelligence agency states.
The Moscow Times
