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Leaked document shows Russia is preparing for ‘a massive medical emergency’ of Ukraine war casualties
Bethany Dawson – February 26, 2022
- Leaked documents sent to ITV News show that Russia is preparing for a major medical event.
- The health ministry is compiling lists of medical professionals for deployment.
- A Ukrainian military official said that this could show that Putin “has the intention to go until the end.”
Leaked documents show that Russia is preparing for many casualties caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and is preparing to draft civilian medics from across the country, said ITV News.
The documents, sent exclusively to ITV news and signed by Deputy Health Minister Plutnitsky, ask medical teams “to be promptly involved in activities aimed at saving lives & preserving the health of people in Russia.”
Emma Burrows, ITV’s news editor, wrote that it “indicates Russia is anticipating a massive medical emergency” and could be forced to deploy doctors and medics from health organizations across the country.
It requests that medical institutions send a list of medical specialists and their details to the Russian health ministry to deploy them when needed. Medics that it is looking for include trauma, heart, maxillofacial and pediatric surgeons, anesthetists, radiologists, nurses (including for operating rooms), and infectious disease specialists.
The document states that these people will be paid by the “Federal Center of Medical Disasters.”
A Ukrainian military official told ITV news that this document shows that the Russians “did not expect to face such a level of resistance and losses” and that they are “far from achieving their goals” of a quick, surprise attack.
They also added that this leaked document could show that Putin intends to “go until the end, despite huge losses of personnel.”
An intelligence update by the UK Ministry of Defence on February 26 stated that “Russian casualties are likely to be heavy and greater than anticipated or acknowledged by the Kremlin.”
According to the official Ukrainian Parliamentary Telegram channel, the Ukrainian military has killed over 3,000 Russian troops and captured 200. Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is quoted in Ukrainian media saying, “this shows that Ukraine has not just survived, Ukraine is winning!”