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

Some of Our Books

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Driving Down Russia's Spine

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

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.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

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