Battle Lines Why Ukraine's troops are facing an amputation crisis
Nov 5, 2025
Maeve Cullinan, a reporter from The Telegraph, explores Ukraine's alarming amputation crisis, revealing that improper tourniquet use may contribute to 25% of limb losses. Captain Rom Stevens, a retired US Navy doctor, offers insight into battlefield medical practices and the dire consequences of delayed evacuations. They discuss the vital importance of effective rehabilitation for veterans, emphasizing its impact on Ukraine's future, both socially and politically. The conversation highlights the challenges and needs of a nation grappling with the cost of war.
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Scale Of Ukraine's Amputation Crisis
- Ukraine faces tens of thousands of amputations since 2022, with median estimates around 40,000 though figures vary widely.
- The scale makes this a multi-generational social, economic, and medical burden for the country.
Tourniquets Require Fast Evacuation
- Tourniquets stop life‑threatening bleeding but cause tissue death if left more than two hours, often requiring amputation.
- Long Ukrainian evacuation times (hours to days) make standard tourniquet timelines unsafe in many cases.
Doctor Sees Devastating High Amputations
- Captain Rom Stevens described seeing very high, often bilateral amputations in otherwise healthy young men during his volunteer work in Ukraine.
- He noted many of these amputations leave too little limb for prosthetic fitting and devastate patients' futures.