Britain is stepping up support for Ukrainian troops wounded on the frontline, who will receive life-saving medical support and rehabilitation services through the UK’s Project Renovator.
The programme, which will see its funding doubled, also includes training for surgeons and rebuilding of a military hospital targeted by Russian bombs. Project Renovator draws on the UK’s leading defence medical expertise to expand Ukraine’s military rehabilitation and medical services and help troops who suffered life-changing injuries to return to the frontline or help them readjust to civilian life after the conflict ends.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP has announced a new £20m funding package to step up the programme further – doubling the Government’s funding for the scheme – as the UK’s cast-iron commitment to Ukraine continues three years into the conflict.
The project, which started in October 2023 demonstrates the UK’s international leadership role, taking responsibility for repairing and upgrading a military rehabilitation hospital which was targeted and bombed by Putin’s forces earlier in the conflict. The UK is also encouraging allies to support and grow this work as part of the broader NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine scheme.
From providing life-saving surgery, to issuing advanced prosthetics, physiotherapy, and aftercare, the rehabilitation hospital will be a significant upgrade for Ukraine’s current services, with Ukrainian surgeons, doctors, and nurses being trained by the UK.
The announcement came on the third anniversary of Putin launching his illegal full-scale invasion, as the Home Office announced new measures to block Russian elites entering the UK. It forms part of this Government’s record support for Ukraine this year – building on £12.8 billion worth of military, humanitarian, and economic support since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:
“As we mark three years of this brutal conflict, Putin is still waging a war he thought he would win in three days, because of fierce resistance to the Russian invasion from ordinary Ukrainians – military and civilian alike. In this critical period, Ukrainians need our support to keep them in the fight and to put their nation in the strongest possible position ahead of any talks.
“That’s why we are stepping up further our UK leadership and life-saving medical support for brave Ukrainian fighters. Our commitment to them is unshakeable. I’m proud of the UK’s leadership in supporting Ukraine, both now and in the long-term, and this new investment in Ukraine’s military medical services will harness the UK’s leading expertise to ensure wounded troops are given the best treatment possible.”
The work will help address a major challenge posed by the conflict, with the largest casualty figures seen in Europe since the Second World War. The support stands in stark contrast to Russia’s widely-reported poor treatment of Russian casualties and veterans, leading to instances of crime and violence when they return from the frontline.
While a small number of British personnel have been working to deliver the project in Ukraine, nearly 100 Ukrainian surgeons, doctors, and nurses are due to travel to the UK this year to receive further medical training using the latest techniques and equipment.
Around £20m of money from a NATO common fund has been invested in the rehabilitation hospital so far, much of which was provided by the UK. In addition to major structural repairs, improvements have included more than £300k worth of new gym equipment, and £400k worth of prosthetics and associated equipment.
