Russia Is Again Calling Up Soldiers Who Were Already Injured In Ukraine: UAF

The Russian army has once again begun calling up soldiers who sustained injuries in the war in Ukraine to bolster its numbers amid mounting losses in the conflict, according to an intelligence report.

Unit commanders for the 37th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 36th army of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces have been calling up soldiers who are currently receiving treatment for injuries sustained in combat to bolster the group's numbers before redeployment to Ukraine, as per an intelligence report from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (UAF).

"Since March 13, the 37th separate motorized rifle brigade of the 36th army of the Eastern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces has been undergoing combat coordination of the Storm unit. It is being prepared for deployment to Ukraine on March 24. The brigade is significantly undermanned, so unit commanders are recalling subordinates from treatment and rehabilitation," the intelligence report read.

The UAF General Staff also reported that morale levels are very low among Russian troops amid dwindling supplies. The low morale levels have also pushed many soldiers to attempt to evade being sent to the frontlines in Ukraine.

It is not the first time the Russian army is reported to be recruiting injured soldiers to be redeployed to the war in Ukraine. In January, independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo said there were instances where two Russian soldiers with punctured lungs were still sent into combat instead of a military medical commission.

The outlet also said soldiers who suffered from shrapnel wounds to their extremities were sent to fight before the shrapnel was removed. In addition, some military personnel who were receiving treatment for ulcers and heart attacks were sent back to the frontlines, as translated by independent media outlet Meduza.

In September last year, the UAF General Staff said Russian hospitals were simplifying their diagnoses and the nature of combat injuries of soldiers to be able to return them to combat zones faster.

Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February last year. Since then, it has lost 164,910 military personnel in the conflict, including 710 who were killed over the past day, as per estimates from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.