Wagner’s New Leader Trains on Prosthetics After Losing Arms and Legs in Battle

A newly released video shows the severely wounded new Wagner commander Dmitry Podolsky – known by his call sign Salem – training on prosthetics after surviving life-altering injuries sustained in frontline combat

The Video Showing Salem's Return to Training

The footage, published on the TASS Telegram channel, shows Podolsky actively training despite having lost both arms and both legs during service in the zone of the special military operation. In the footage, he fires a rifle and pistol using his prosthetics, practices pull-ups, and works on striking combinations with a punching bag.

"If you are not physically prepared, you will not shoot accurately-you simply won't be able to complete the task,” he says in the recording.

Eight Months of Recovery and Multiple Surgeries

According to Podolsky, his rehabilitation lasted eight months. He notes that his recovery could have been shorter if not for a severe throat wound that required four additional surgeries. The injury, sustained in battle against Ukrainian armored units near Artyomovsk in 2023, left him with long-term complications but did not prevent him from returning to service in a new capacity.

Leadership Changes Inside Wagner

Before Salem's appointment, Wagner was led by Anton Yelizarov, known as Lotus. He took command after the deaths of Dmitry Utkin and Yevgeny Prigozhin in an air crash in 2023. Yelizarov remained in charge until late 2024, when he was removed from the position.

As journalist Anastasia Kashevarova noted, the decision to replace Yelizarov was "late, but correct,” adding that the initiative to install a new commander came from Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the late Yevgeny Prigozhin.

"The leadership transition was overdue, but it was the right move,” Kashevarova commented.