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Germany supplied Russia with prosthetic limbs and artificial joints worth 79 million euros in the first half of 2026, according to Eurostat data reviewed by Forbes Russia. Limb and related-component shipments were 5.4 times their level in the same period of 2021, while joint replacements were 6.1 times higher. The data show rising imports amid increased demand, but do not explain how much was driven by wartime injuries or how shipments were arranged.
Russia imported 41.2 million euros in prosthetic arms, legs and related components from Germany in the first half of 2026, a value 5.4 times the level in 2021, according to Eurostat data reviewed by Forbes Russia. The increase comes as Russia’s demand for prosthetics grows and domestic production, according to market reporting, is not keeping pace with demand.
Germany’s total supplies to Russia of prosthetic limbs and artificial joints reached 79 million euros during the first six months of 2026, almost a third more than in the same period a year earlier, Forbes Russia reported from Eurostat figures. The total includes 41.2 million euros in prosthetic arms and legs and related components, and 37.8 million euros in endoprostheses, or artificial hip, knee and other joint replacements.
The change compared with 2021 differs by product category. German shipments of prosthetic limbs and related components were 5.4 times higher than in the first half of 2021; endoprosthesis shipments were 6.1 times higher. Across the European Union, Russia received prostheses and endoprostheses worth 144.9 million euros in the first half of 2026, against 66.5 million euros in the corresponding period of 2021.
The figures measure the value of imports, not the number of devices delivered or the number of patients treated. They also cover the first half of 2026, so they should not be read as a full-year total. The report does not identify individual suppliers, specific products or the route by which shipments reached Russia.
Imports Meet Rising Prosthetics Demand
The import figures point to a widening role for overseas products in a market facing increased demand. Russia’s Labor Ministry said people with disabilities received 152,661 prosthetic arms and legs from the state in 2024, more than in any of the previous 10 years, according to the source report. The figure concerns state-provided limbs, not all prosthetic devices or all recipients.
Higher imports may matter particularly for patients who need more advanced devices. Forbes Russia reported that domestic producers account for about 80% of the market by unit but only 30% by value, while imports make up as much as 70% of the market for expensive, high-tech components. Those estimates suggest that imported products have a larger presence in higher-priced segments, though the report does not give a product-by-product breakdown of the German shipments.
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Demand and Domestic Production
Russia’s prosthetics market is growing, but domestic production capacity is not keeping pace with demand, Forbes Russia reported. The Labor Ministry’s 2024 figure for state-issued limbs provides one measure of the increase, while the import data show how purchases from Germany and the EU changed relative to 2021. These are distinct measures: one records devices supplied by the state, the other the value of trade.
Rostec, Russia’s state defense conglomerate, said young people made up 15–20% of those needing prosthetics by 2025, up from about 8% before 2022. The report says most of this younger group are people wounded while fighting in the war with Ukraine. It also notes that younger patients may need more complex, technologically advanced devices, an area where Russian production has developed more slowly, according to experts cited by Forbes Russia.
“Young people accounted for about 8% of those needing prosthetics before 2022, and 15–20% by 2025.”
— Rostec, as cited by Forbes Russia
What the Trade Figures Cannot Show
The figures establish the value and comparison period for reported imports, but do not show how many individual devices were delivered, their technical specifications or how many patients received them. Prices and the mix of products could affect import values, so the rise in value cannot be treated as an equivalent increase in the number of prostheses.
The report also does not quantify what share of the increase is linked to injuries from the war, identify specific German manufacturers or explain the logistics and payment arrangements behind the trade. The source provides no information on any restrictions or exemptions relevant to these particular shipments. Those details remain unclear from the reported data.
The Next Full-Year Trade Picture
The reported figures cover only January through June 2026. Full-year trade data would show whether the pace continued in the second half of the year, but the source report does not specify when a complete annual comparison will be available. Further detail from Russian authorities or trade-data releases could clarify shipment quantities, product types and supplier shares.
For now, the confirmed development is a sharp rise in the reported value of German prosthetic imports compared with the first half of 2021, alongside a broader increase in EU supplies. Whether domestic production will expand enough to reduce reliance on imported high-tech components is not established by the figures.
Key Questions
How much did Russia import from Germany in the first half of 2026?
Germany supplied 79 million euros in prosthetic limbs, related components and artificial joint replacements, according to Eurostat data reviewed by Forbes Russia.
What does the fivefold increase refer to?
It refers to the value of German shipments of prosthetic arms, legs and related components: 41.2 million euros in the first half of 2026, 5.4 times the value in the same period of 2021. It does not mean five times as many devices were imported.
How did imports of artificial joints change?
German shipments of endoprostheses, including artificial hip and knee replacements, were 6.1 times higher in the first half of 2026 than in the corresponding period of 2021, according to the report.
What is driving the increased demand for prosthetics?
The report cites a record number of prosthetic limbs issued by the state in 2024 and a higher share of younger people needing prosthetics by 2025. It says most of that younger group were wounded while fighting in the war with Ukraine, but it does not quantify how much of the import increase is attributable to war injuries.
Source: meduza.io
