Vladimir Putin is sending his injured Russian soldiers back to serve on the frontline in Ukraine “on crutches”, according to British officials.

Russia occupies around a fifth of Ukraine after almost three years of intense warfare, but its armed forces have endured a staggering rate of casualties as a result.

The Ukrainian General Staff estimates that Russia has sustained 830,000 casualties since Putin’s invasion, draining its army personnel.

It appears Moscow’s solution is to send its injured back into the warzone early, with “unhealed wounds”.

The UK’s ministry of defence (MoD) said in its latest update on social media: “It is highly likely injured Russian personnel are being returned to combat duties in Ukraine with unhealed wounds, often on crutches.”

Open source reporting suggests the field army, known as Russia’s 20th Combined Arms Army, has even “formed assault groups made up of walking wounded and directed them into combat”, according to the UK officials.

The MoD continued: “There is a realistic possibility Russian commanders are directing this activity to retain personnel who would otherwise become lost in the overburdened medical system.”

The Ukrainian General Staff claims more than 400,000 of the wounded Russian troops have needed treatment in medical facilities away from the frontline since February 2022.

The British officials noted that the injured troops likely returned to their units after being “prematurely” discharged, at the “behest of their commanders”.

The MoD said: “This reduces the pressure on the overburdened military medical system and increases unit’s ability to track and use wounded servicemen for operational tasks.

“The lack of proper medical attention in facilities away from the frontline necessitates the transfer of the administrative and medical burden back to troops’ units.”

The Russian president haspreviously said he wants to create the world’s second largest army – after China – with 1.5 million active personnel.

Yet the Ukraine war has chipped away at the Russian ranks, especially as Putin continues to employ what UK prime minister Keir Starmer once called his “meat-grinder” tactics.

Russia did receive some support from North Korean troops who helped fight the Ukrainians occupying the Russian region of Kursk, however, reports suggest those soldiers have not been seen on the frontline there in a fortnight.

Putin is also desperate to grab as much of Ukraine’s territory as possible as US president Donald Trump pushes for the warring nations to agree to a peace deal.

The Russian president has already suggested he would only agree to peace if the realities “on the ground” were recognised – meaning he wants the occupied parts of Ukraine to officially become Russian.