November 06, 2024

Another Consequence of the War?


Another Consequence of the War?
A blind man in Ekaterinburg. IvanA, Wikimedia Commons

According to data from Russia’s Pension Fund, in 2023, for the first time in over a decade, the number of people with disabilities in Russia rose.

As of December 31, 2023, 11 million Russians had disability status, marking an increase of 108,000 from the beginning of the year. The independent publication Verstka attributed this rise to growth in childhood disabilities and possible corruption in medical examinations, especially in the North Caucasus regions. Contributing factors may also include registrations from occupied territories in the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine and military injuries.

Since 2011, the number of people with disabilities in Russia had steadily declined, a trend authorities linked to the aging of an older generation of disabled citizens. The upward trend seen in 2023 marks a significant shift. Notably, Rosstat (Federal State Statistics Service) data does not account for territories occupied in Ukraine since 2022.

The North Caucasus Federal District saw the largest regional increase, accounting for over 30 percent of the rise. Dagestan and Chechnya reported nearly double the growth elsewhere, with 14,800 and 12,400 new cases, respectively. Following these regions were Novosibirsk Oblast and Moscow Oblast, with increases of 7,600. Demographers cite widespread false disability claims in the North Caucasus, where approximately 15.9 percent of Chechnya’s population reportedly holds disabled status, more than twice the national average.

Childhood disabilities also contributed to the rise, accounting for one-third of the increase. In 2023, 89,000 children were diagnosed with disabilities, the highest number since at least 2008.

Migrants from occupied regions may have contributed significantly to the rise in both child and adult disabilities, according to a demographer interviewed by Verstka. In 2023, 93,700 residents of occupied regions registered as residents in Russia, particularly in Moscow Oblast, Rostov Oblast, and Krasnodar Krai. These regions saw some of the highest increases in childhood disabilities.

The data also showed a marked increase in disabilities that may be linked to military injuries. The category for “simultaneous hearing and vision impairment” saw a 75 percent rise, likely due to injuries such as concussions. Disabilities requiring wheelchair use increased as well, with 79,000 people registering — 23,000 more than in 2021. Determining the proportion of disabilities attributed specifically to military injuries, however, remains challenging.

You Might Also Like

Population Problems
  • October 23, 2024

Population Problems

According to a UN report, Russian population numbers may have already passed their peak. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955