Frontline footage posted by Ukrainian drone operators and Russian troops show men who have clearly suffered leg injuries, some still bandaged, using crutches in combat areas, in several instances targeted by Ukrainian drones as they use the walking aids to try to flee. “The Russians are recycling the wounded back into the fight,” one Western official said, referring to videos of “troops on crutches being pushed back into the line.” One drone video from January, posted by the Ukraine’s 59th brigade active around the embattled strategic city of Pokrovsk, shows a Russian soldier using a crutch under each arm to try and reach cover. He is moving slowly, despite likely being able to hear the Ukrainian drone above him and realising he is at risk. The drone then drops a mortar round on him. “What the hell are you doing with me, why? I had surgery yesterday, damn it!”, he…
