Recent open-source intelligence (OSINT) investigations and battlefield footage have confirmed that injured Russian military personnel are being ordered back into combat before their wounds have healed.
Disturbing reports suggest that Russia’s 20th Combined Arms Army has formed what are now being called “crutch battalions”—assault groups composed of walking wounded, some of whom are limping into battle on crutches.
Footage released by Ukrainian and independent OSINT analysts shows Russian troops with visible injuries being sent on assaults, with some barely able to walk. Ukrainian drones have captured shocking images of these wounded soldiers hobbling towards the frontline near Pokrovsk, a heavily contested area in eastern Ukraine.
In one widely shared video, a Ukrainian drone targets a Russian soldier who is clearly using crutches to move. In another recording, a Russian soldier watching his injured comrades being forced into an attack mutters in disbelief, “What the f—?”
The scale of the issue is larger than initially thought. What was first believed to be an isolated incident has now been exposed as a systemic practice. Social media footage suggest that multiple Russian units have been ordered to deploy wounded personnel who should still be receiving medical care.
This practice highlights Russia’s mounting manpower crisis. Despite suffering over 800,000 casualties since the start of its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Moscow has managed to maintain a front-line force of approximately 600,000 troops in Ukraine and western Russia.
However, the increasing use of wounded soldiers as frontline assault troops suggests that the Kremlin’s recruitment and mobilisation efforts are failing to generate sufficient replacements.
The use of wounded soldiers as expendable assets is not a new phenomenon in Russian military history. General Philippe-Paul de Ségur, who served as an aide-de-camp to Napoleon Bonaparte during the Russian campaign of 1812, wrote in his memoirs, Histoire de Napoléon et de la Grande Armée pendant l’année 1812 (History of Napoleon and the Grand Army in 1812), that Russian soldiers were exceptionally resilient and steadfast in defence. However, he lamented that their commanders treated them with little regard, viewing them as disposable and showing no concern for their survival. The emergence of ‘crutch battalions’ today is a modern manifestation of this long-standing disregard for the well-being of Russian troops.
Commanders appear to be resorting to deploying wounded troops as a way to prevent them from becoming lost in Russia’s overstretched medical system. The Ukrainian General Staff estimates that over 400,000 Russian soldiers have required treatment in facilities away from the front, but many are now being sent back into combat prematurely. By doing so, the military reduces pressure on its overwhelmed medical facilities and keeps better track of returning soldiers.
The Russian military’s logistical and medical infrastructure has long been strained, but the current use of ‘crutch battalions’ indicates a new level of desperation. Many hospitals near the frontlines are struggling to accommodate the high volume of casualties, leading some commanders to prioritise keeping men on the battlefield rather than ensuring they receive proper treatment.
The reported deployment of walking wounded in combat raises serious concerns about operational effectiveness and morale. Integrating injured personnel alongside healthy troops weakens unit cohesion and diminishes battlefield performance, as these soldiers are physically incapable of operating at full capacity. The emergence of so-called ‘crutch battalions’ further highlights Russia’s broader struggles to sustain its war effort, despite its numerical superiority in manpower.
Ukrainian military leaders and international analysts note that the growing reliance on wounded soldiers points to systemic failures in Russia’s recruitment and mobilisation efforts. Russian doctrine has recently shifted towards using infantry-heavy assaults rather than armoured offensives, largely due to the destruction of more than 15,000 Russian combat vehicles since the war began. This tactical shift has placed immense strain on Russia’s infantry forces, further exacerbating casualties.
Reports from the battlefield indicate that Russia’s continued reliance on massed infantry assaults is yielding only marginal territorial gains at an enormous cost in lives. According to General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian forces suffered 434,000 casualties in 2024 alone, with 150,000 of those killed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in December 2024 that Russian casualties far exceed those of Ukraine, with more than one-third of wounded Russian troops dying before reaching proper medical care.
The reality of these conditions is now being openly discussed within Russian pro-military circles. A Russian blogger recently lamented the inefficiency of vehicle-based assaults, claiming that “every single time” Russian regiments attempt mechanised advances, “the result is zero.” Instead, Russian commanders are increasingly relying on infantry—many of whom are wounded—to push forward in slow, costly advances supported by artillery and drones.
As the stress on Russia’s military manpower system continues to mount, soldiers on the battlefield are beginning to voice their frustrations. Some Russian bloggers have reported that wounded soldiers are being hidden away in basements and makeshift medical facilities to prevent the public from seeing the scale of casualties. One Russian war correspondent who exposed such conditions was arrested and forcibly deployed to the frontlines.
The widespread use of ‘crutch battalions’ exemplifies the brutal disregard for human life that has long characterised Russia’s approach to warfare. The forced return of severely injured troops into combat raises fundamental questions about both the sustainability and the morality of Russia’s war effort.
While Russia continues to field one of the largest armies in the world, its ability to sustain prolonged operations is now in question. The use of barely mobile, crutch-bound troops in combat is a sign that the Kremlin is expending its human resources far faster than it can replenish them. Whether these conditions will eventually spark greater resistance within the ranks remains to be seen, but the reliance on wounded soldiers as expendable assets underscores the extreme pressure facing the Russian military.
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