Russian Ministry of Defense hospitals have been overwhelmed. Soldiers returning from Ukraine, injured or in need of rehabilitation, are increasingly admitted to regular medical institutions, free of charge and without a waiting list.
Within civilian hospitals, secret departments have been set up, with a special regime, reported doctors from Saint Petersburg, Yaroslavl, and Siberia.
Such departments have been operating since 2024, and medical staff are required to sign confidentiality agreements. The Moscow Times writes that patients are identified by numbers, and their names and surnames are kept secret.
Concurrently, medical services become harder to provide to civilians, in the context of the special conditions of activity in hospitals where war participants are brought.
Doctors have reported that some patients returning from the front get drunk, want to call prostitutes, or are even ready to use weapons in the hospital.
According to the estimates of Russian opposition journalists, there are approximately 58,300 beds in Russian military hospitals. They can treat almost 1 million injured patients annually, but their number is currently not sufficient.