“With a ball in the lung and without the spleen.” Wounded Russian soldiers are sent back to the front
The situation of wounded Russian soldiers sent back to the front is becoming more and more serious. The case of 37-year-old Anton Sawczenka from Tiumenia in Eastern Russia and his comrades of weapons is a clear example.
According to his relatives, the entire battalion 506. The motorized guard regiment consisted of invalids.
– My son worked all his life at a factory in Tiumen. I don't remember exactly when he decided to go to the war, but when I found out about it, I couldn't convince him to give up – recalls Tatiana, Anton's mother.
– He didn't listen to me anymore. He repeated that he had to help. I explained to him that the war is only beautiful in movies, that everyone is lying on television, and in reality there is only dirt, corpses and crimes – says Tatiana.
Father Anton was a soldier himself, he served in Afghanistan. “He always told us that a soldier was a cog and nobody values his life.”
After signing the military contract on October 9, 2024, Anton quickly regretted his decision. On November 2, less than a month later, he was wounded near Selidov in the Donetsk region.
– he regretted signing the contract a hundred times! They were immediately thrown to attack. A drone broke out near Selidów: the left eye was damaged, and the entire left side of his body was covered with small shards – says Tatiana.
Despite the serious injuries, the man was not allowed to go to the field hospital. On November 4, he was sent to the next attack, where he was even more serious.
“It is uncomfortable to aim with one eye”
– He wrote to me that it is very uncomfortable to aim with one eye. He sees nothing to the left eye, and the other also weakens – explains the desperate mother.
Before making a diagnosis (blood stroke into the eyeball and total optic nerve atrophy), Anton was transferred from one hospital to another for two months. Neither in Lugansk nor in Uljanowsko he received adequate treatment. Although he was initially awarded the medical category “G” (temporarily unable to serve), The military authorities refused to release permanently from the army.
And on April 30, 2025, instead of receiving a referral to the medical commission, the man was forcibly taken from the 01005 unit in the Orenburg region and sent to the front.
Anton went to the unit with a set of all medical documents. However, instead of helping from the prosecutor's office and release, on April 30 he was detained and taken away. – He was not allowed to take even personal items or tablets from the hotel. He suffers from a severe form of hypertension – says Tatiana.
– May 17 he managed to call and say that The whole battalion consists of invalids: some without hands, others with crutches, with shards not only in the body, but also in important organs. And the whole battalion of invalids was again sent to attack – says his mother.
– Anton called me later: “Mom, I survived. But I am like a sieve, the drone hit my back.” But they will send him back to the front anyway. Everyone who survived in this company will be gathered and sent to the front as cannon meat – adds the woman.
Anton's case is not isolated. Other seriously wounded Russian soldiers are also sent back to the front, although they have not undergone treatment.
“With a ball in the lung and without the spleen”
– After the operation, he was sent back to the front. He has a referral for the next operation in a month. But they don't care, with a ball in the lung and without the spleen will be on the front line! He is in danger – complains Eleda, a relative of one of the mobilized soldiers from the same unit.
– I don't understand! They don't have anyone else who they could mobilize? Or maybe they “save” on treatment. The funeral costs will probably be lower for them. And the wife will stay with three minor sons – he adds.
People pass by billboards promoting service in the contract army, Saint Petersburg, Russia, March 19, 2025.
Another soldier was twice within a mortar fire in December last year. He was wounded in the eye for the first time, seriously injured in his feet. He was amputated by one leg at his knee height and moves about crutches.
At first he was sent to rehabilitation. But eventually he was awarded the “B” category (capable of military service with restrictions) and sent him to the front.
Command refuses to release 40-year-old Ivan Topczija, who has not had a shoulder joint since December last year, and 32-year-old Dmitry Miszyna, who has not had his right hand since 2024.
“They catch them on the street”
A lawyer dealing with human rights claims that this practice has become common since last autumn: – They catch them directly on the street. They detained two with the “D” category (completely incapable of military service). One of them moved about crutches after injuries. Within a few days they sent him to the border. The second, with a malfunctioning hand, threw them straight to the front line.
According to a lawyer, even now, in the fourth year of the war caused by Russia against Ukraine, sending a soldier to the front after wounds and treatment is illegal. However, this is not always possible to challenge it in court.
