Lauge Risom Koch 
The Russian government is converting civilian maternity wards into secret military hospitals to treat overwhelming battlefield casualties.
The Russian government is increasingly converting civilian healthcare facilities to treat a massive influx of wounded military personnel. Authorities have specifically repurposed maternity wards to accommodate returning soldiers from the war in Ukraine. This structural shift has severely degraded standard medical care access for ordinary citizens across the country.
Overwhelming the healthcare system
The structural collapse of the civilian medical system directly correlates with high battlefield attrition rates. According to United24 Media, the Russian army has surpassed 1.5 million total military personnel losses since the conflict began. This staggering toll is reportedly 100 times greater than the casualties suffered during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
Officials are seizing local medical centers to manage the overwhelming number of casualties. As noted by United24 Media, authorities in Rostov-on-Don abruptly converted a maternity hospital into a military treatment facility. Administrators forced pregnant women to seek alternative medical care in neighboring cities due to this unexpected closure.
Similar administrative conversions are occurring in multiple regions across the nation. According to United24 Media, a maternity hospital in Omsk was transformed into a veterans’ facility despite protests from local medical staff. The defense ministry currently maintains roughly 58,000 military hospital beds that remain completely overwhelmed by the casualty volume.
Operating secret military wards
Civilian hospitals in several regions have established highly classified wings to handle the overflow. As reported by United24 Media, facilities in St. Petersburg and Siberia now operate these restricted military units. Medical staff working within these specific wards are forced to sign strict non-disclosure agreements.
Administrators enforce rigid security protocols to conceal the identity of the patients. According to United24 Media, access to these covert units is strictly restricted by magnetic keycards. The wounded personnel receive medical treatment under assigned numbers rather than their actual names.
These military demands drastically impact the availability of standard civilian care. As highlighted by United24 Media, a recent government decree mandates that soldiers receive priority outpatient care at local civilian clinics. Regional governments have diverted millions of dollars toward military treatment while simultaneously cutting overall public healthcare budgets.
Managing aggressive patient behavior
The influx of combatants has introduced physical violence into civilian medical settings. According to United24 Media, returning soldiers frequently consume alcohol and steal essential equipment from the facilities. These veterans also initiate physical brawls with both medical staff and civilian patients.
The health ministry issued internal guidelines to address this escalating violence. As noted by United24 Media, officials instructed doctors to speak softly “as if telling a fairy tale” when handling aggressive military patients. Medical staff must hide glass objects during appointments and offer imaginary confessions of guilt during disputes.
The government is also attempting to integrate these wounded veterans into the domestic economy. According to United24 Media, Vladimir Putin ordered executives to place returning combatants directly into the defense-industrial complex. This directive aims to offset severe labor shortages using personnel with permanent disabilities or amputations.
