A Russian soldier who was severely wounded while fighting in Ukraine has received only two buckets of carrots and a bag of onions from the government instead of the money his family thought he would receive, according to a new report.
The report was published on Tuesday by the independent investigative outlet Mozhem Obyasnit (We Can Explain), which reportedly interviewed the soldier’s wife for the story.
The Mozhem Obyasnit article said Oleg Rybkin, 45, was mobilized from Russia’s Volgograd region to fight in Ukraine in September 2022. In June, Rybkin was in combat near the village of Robotyne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. As the outlet noted, Robotyne was the site of fierce fighting during the summer phase of Ukraine’s 2023 counteroffensive until Kyiv declared it had liberated the village from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces in late August.
While serving in Robotyne, Rybkin “was wounded in the abdomen, liver, kidneys” and his “right knee joint was destroyed,” Mozhem Obyasnit wrote.
Photo by ROMAN PILIPEY/AFP via Getty Images
Rybkin reportedly underwent an operation at a local hospital in Ukraine before undergoing abdominal surgery at a hospital in Sevastopol, Crimea. Russia’s military medical commission then deemed Rybkin to be “temporarily unfit” to fight, and he was sent to Saint Petersburg for further rehabilitation.
The soldier’s wife, Irina Rybkina, described her husband as being in extreme pain and in need of a knee surgery that he never received. Nevertheless, he was soon reportedly made to return to his unit.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Wednesday night for comment.
“He has severe pain, his knee cannot straighten, and he cannot walk without crutches. He’s on painkillers and sleeping pills,” Irina told Mozhem Obyasnit, which published a photo on its website of what is said was an extract from her husband’s medical record.
Medical professionals have told Irina that her spouse needs a knee replacement procedure, but she claimed that Russia’s military command doesn’t want to be forced to pay the 3 million rubles ($32,730) in compensation and a lifelong pension that Oleg would receive if he’s found permanently unfit to serve.
Instead of the rubles and a pension, Irina told Mozhem Obyasnit that the only help Russian government officials have given her family is in the form of two buckets of carrots and a bag of onions grown by local farmers.
“What vegetables, what gifts, do I need to replace my husband’s joint and get him discharged!” she said.
Mozhem Obyasnit reported that Oleg is currently back serving in his unit while using crutches.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.