Germany increases prosthetic exports to Russia amid rising demand

Germany has significantly increased its exports of prosthetic limbs and endoprostheses to Russia, reaching a value of 79 million euros in the first half of 2026. This represents an increase of approximately one-third compared to the same period in 2025 and a five-to-sixfold increase compared to the first half of 2021.

Eurostat data indicates that Germany now accounts for 55 percent of Russia's imports in these categories. The surge in demand is attributed to a growing need for sophisticated medical devices as the demographic of prosthetic users shifts; the share of young people requiring prosthetics has risen from roughly 8 percent before 2022 to approximately 20 percent currently. Analysts link this trend to the high number of severely wounded Russian military personnel resulting from the war in Ukraine.

Russian domestic industry is currently unable to meet the required volume and technological complexity of these devices, maintaining a reliance on imports. While Russia faces various international sanctions, medical products remain subject to humanitarian exceptions.