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Germany supplied Russia with €79 million in prosthetic limbs, related components and artificial joints in the first half of 2026, according to Eurostat data reviewed by Forbes Russia. Shipments of prosthetic arms and legs were 5.4 times their 2021 level, while Russia’s demand has grown amid record state provision and a rising share of younger recipients.
Germany supplied Russia with €79 million in prosthetic limbs and artificial joints in the first half of 2026, with shipments of arms, legs and related components reaching 5.4 times their 2021 level, according to Eurostat data reviewed by Forbes Russia. The figures point to a sharp rise in Russian reliance on imported prosthetic products as demand grows and domestic production struggles to meet it.
Of the German shipments, €41.2 million consisted of prosthetic arms and legs and related components. Artificial joint replacements, including hip and knee endoprostheses, made up the remaining €37.8 million. The total value of Germany’s supplies in the first half of 2026 was almost a third higher than in the same period a year earlier, Forbes Russia reported.
Compared with the first half of 2021, Germany’s shipments of endoprostheses grew 6.1 times, according to the report. Across the European Union, Russia received prostheses and endoprostheses worth €144.9 million in the first half of 2026, up from €66.5 million in the corresponding period of 2021.
The data cover trade value, not the number of devices shipped. They also combine prosthetic limbs with related components in the €41.2 million category. The report does not specify how much of the increase reflects higher prices, changes in the mix or complexity of products, or a greater volume of devices.
Rising Demand Meets Import Reliance
The figures describe a growing supply of foreign prosthetic products at a time when Russia’s need for them appears to be expanding. Russia’s Labor Ministry recorded 152,661 prosthetic arms and legs issued by the state in 2024, more than in any of the previous 10 years, according to the source report. That measure records devices issued, rather than total demand or the number of individual recipients.
Market participants cited by Forbes Russia say prostheses are being provided faster and recipients are younger. Rostec, the Russian state defense conglomerate, said young people made up about 8% of those needing prosthetics before 2022, rising to 15–20% by 2025. The report says most of these younger recipients are people wounded while fighting in the war with Ukraine. The age-share figures are attributed to Rostec and are not independent counts in the source material.
The changes matter because younger patients may need devices that are more complex and technologically advanced. If domestic capacity is not sufficient for that segment, imports can play a larger role even when Russian products account for most devices by unit. The available figures do not establish whether any particular German shipment was purchased for military or civilian use.
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How Russia’s Prosthetics Market Shifted
Forbes Russia describes a market where Russian-made products account for about 80% by unit but only about 30% by value. The gap suggests that imported goods have a much larger share of spending than their share of the total number of products, particularly in expensive, high-tech components. The report says imports account for up to 70% of that higher-end component market.
Experts cited by Forbes Russia said domestic production of technologically advanced prostheses had historically developed more slowly. The rise in shipments is measured against 2021, the year before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The source provides trade-value comparisons for the first half of 2021 and the first half of 2026; it does not give a full account of how procurement, trade routes or suppliers changed during the intervening years.
“Young people accounted for about 8% of those needing prosthetics before 2022, and 15–20% by 2025.”
— Rostec, as cited in the Forbes Russia report
What the Trade Figures Cannot Show
The reported values do not reveal the number of devices imported, their average prices, or how much the product mix changed between 2021 and 2026. They also do not identify individual buyers, patients or end users. The source reports Germany as a supplier but does not explain the commercial or logistical arrangements behind the shipments.
It is also unclear how much of the increase reflects the effects of the war, other changes in health-care demand, or shifts in procurement and pricing. The report links rising demand to a younger recipient group that includes people wounded in the war, but the trade data alone do not show what share of imports goes to that group. No further breakdown of the figures or official explanation from German or Russian authorities is included in the supplied material.
Further Data Needed on Imports
The figures cited in the report cover the first half of 2026. A full-year comparison could show whether the pace of imports continued, but the supplied report does not identify a release date for additional data. More detailed customs figures or statements from manufacturers and health authorities could clarify shipment volumes, product types and buyers.
For now, the reported figures establish a steep rise in the value of German prosthetic-limb supplies to Russia compared with 2021, alongside increased EU-wide shipments. They do not establish how many people received German-made devices or whether domestic producers will expand output enough to reduce reliance on imports.
Key Questions
How much did Germany supply to Russia in the first half of 2026?
Germany supplied €79 million in prosthetic limbs, related components and artificial joints, 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 and legs and related components, which reached €41.2 million and were 5.4 times their level in the first half of 2021. The figure is not a count of devices.
How much did shipments of artificial joints increase?
German shipments of endoprostheses, including artificial hip and knee replacements, were 6.1 times their first-half 2021 level, according to the report. Their value in the first half of 2026 was €37.8 million.
Why is Russia importing more prosthetic products?
The report describes rising demand and limited domestic capacity for complex, high-tech devices. It cites a record number of state-issued prosthetic limbs in 2024 and a larger reported share of younger recipients by 2025. The available data do not quantify how much each factor contributed to imports.
Does the data show who received the German-made devices?
No. The figures report trade values and do not identify buyers, patients or whether devices went to civilian or military recipients.
Source: meduza.io
