Russische Amputierte werden an die Front zurückgeschickt

***The Telegraph reports:***

Pte Startsev believed he had performed his duty for the Russian army.

The former prisoner, drafted from captivity to fight on the front line, had his leg blown off by Ukrainian forces in 2024.

Unable to walk and denied a prosthetic leg by [Russia](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/russia/), he thought he was no longer useful to the 126th Motorized Rifle Regiment.

But then they sent him straight back to war.

“We’ve already paid our dues in blood. So what now? Are we supposed to f—— die?” he says in footage shared on social media this week.

Pte Startsev is one of three Russian soldiers who have come forward to say they were ordered back to the front line despite losing limbs in combat.

The soldiers made the claims in video footage that was verified by Ukrainian intelligence, military sources told The Telegraph.

Ukrainian officials said the human rights abuse was becoming increasingly common among Russian forces as mounting casualties strain Vladimir Putin’s troops.

**Read more:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/30/russian-amputees-sent-back-front-line-ukraine/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/01/30/russian-amputees-sent-back-front-line-ukraine/)

This isn’t news; it’s been going on since the beginning