Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

World

Russia imports five times more prosthetic arms and legs from Germany than before the war

Germany supplied Russia with prosthetic arms and legs, as well as artificial joints, worth 79 million euros in the first half of 2026, almost a third more than a year earlier, according to Eurostat data reviewed by the business magazine Forbes Russia.

Russia imports five times more prosthetic arms and legs from Germany than before the war

In the first half of 2026, Russia imported five times more prosthetic limbs than it did a year prior, according to Forbes Russia. Eurostat data revealed that Germany supplied prosthetic arms and legs worth 79 million euros to Russia, a 30% increase from the previous year. Of this, prosthetic limbs accounted for 41.2 million euros, while endoprostheses, such as artificial hips and knees, made up 37.8 million euros.

The quantity of prosthetic limbs imported grew an astounding 5.4 times since 2021, whereas endoprostheses shipments increased by 6.1 times. In comparison, Russia received prosthetic limbs and endoprostheses valued at a total of 144.9 million euros from EU countries during the same period in 2026, up from 66.5 million euros in 2021.

Despite the market's growth, domestic production cannot keep up with the demand. According to the Labor Ministry, in 2024, Russia provided 152,661 prosthetic limbs to people with disabilities, a significant rise from previous years. Younger people, accounting for about 15-20% of those needing prosthetics in 2025, are now receiving these devices significantly faster than before 2022.

Most of these patients have been wounded during the war with Ukraine. Due to slow production of advanced prosthetic devices in Russia, most prosthetic limbs sold in the country are made by Russian manufacturers, but only account for 30% of the total market value. Up to 70% of the high-tech components of these prosthetics are imported.

Written by urgent.news from Meduza (English)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at meduza.io →

More in World

More from Wednesday 28 October →