Russia prepared for Ukraine war with university blood drives and by having surgeons practice on large animals — but they may not have been ready for the extent of the casualties

• Before invading Ukraine, Russia set up blood drives and field hospitals, The Economist reported.
• Surgeons in the field were even practicing on large animals that were under anesthetics.
• Ukraine’s medical treatment has given them an advantage over Russia, The Wall Street Journal reported.

An estimated 50,000 Russians have died fighting the war in Ukraine, according to a July Associated Press report, and for 17 months Russia averaged about 400 casualties per day — a bloody toll for which the Kremlin apparently tried to prepare.

In the months before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there were several indications that Russia was preparing for mass casualties, and thus for war, Major-General Tim Hodgetts, the surgeon general of the British armed forces, told The Economist.

First, Russia moved field hospitals close to the border. Inside the field hospitals, surgeons were practicing their craft — on the bodies of large animals placed under anesthetics, the outlet reported. There were also blood drives being held at universities in Russia, despite the difficulties of storing fresh blood.

“Medical indicators and warnings are predictive of war,” Hodgetts told The Economist.

Despite those preparations, it appears Russia wasn’t fully prepared for the extent of the casualties, perhaps because President Vladimir Putin, like much of the world, may not have expected the Ukrainians to resist the invasion for as long as they have.

Severely injured Russian soldiers have been sent back to the frontlines in Ukraine without enough treatment or recovery time, the independent Russian news outlet Agentstvo reported in January. The outlet reported two soldiers with punctured lungs were sent back into combat, while others with shrapnel injuries were sent back out to fight — without having the shrapnel removed first.

In January Newsweek reported that the Ukrainian Army said Russia had built three new hospitals in one week to try and accommodate their injured service members.

The Wall Street Journal also reported in July that Ukraine’s medical abilities were giving them an advantage over Russia. The outlet said Kyiv had better medical equipment and well-trained medics on the frontlines, resulting in higher rates of survival for injured Ukrainian soldiers than for the Russians.