According to Podolsky, after his injury, he underwent eight months of rehabilitation.
The new head of the private military company (PMC) 'Wagner', Dmitry Podolsky, with the call sign Salem, who lost his arm and legs after completing tasks in the special military operation (SMO) zone, was filmed on video.
In the footage released by the agency, Salem is seen training using prosthetics—shooting from a rifle and a pistol, doing pull-ups, and practicing punches on a boxing bag. "If you are not physically prepared, you will not shoot accurately; you simply will not be able to complete the task physically," he stated in the video.
According to Podolsky, after his injury, he underwent eight months of rehabilitation and would have recovered faster if it weren't for a throat injury that required him to undergo four additional surgeries.
It is known that Salem was wounded during a battle with Ukrainian armored vehicles near Artemivsk in 2023. As journalist and military observer Alexey Sukonkin wrote: "A steel man. Long ago, he was an officer in the 14th special forces brigade in Ussuriysk, an experienced hand-to-hand combatant, and knew how to work convincingly and thoughtfully with personnel. Those who knew him have only enthusiastic memories."
Dmitry Podolsky was born on March 2, 1978, in the city of Yeysk, Krasnodar Krai. He did not excel in his studies at school and did not exhibit exemplary behavior.
Dmitry entered a vocational school and became interested in boxing. It turned out that the young man was talented in sports, and he was noticed by coach Boris Starikov. However, the young man's attitude towards life did not change until, as he said, he was drafted into the army for compulsory service:
– It was as if everything turned upside down inside me. My grandfather was a participant in the Great Patriotic War, and I behaved like this!
Podolsky entered the Far Eastern Higher Combined Arms Command School, graduating with honors. He participated in operations in the North Caucasus, where he received his first Order of Courage in 2002. As of May 2024, he held the position of commander in the Central African Republic.
Before Salem, the PMC 'Wagner' was led by Anton Elizarov with the call sign Lotus. He was appointed head of the company after the deaths of Dmitry Utkin and Yevgeny Prigozhin in a plane crash in 2023 and was removed from office at the end of 2024. As journalist Anastasia Kashevarova stated, this decision was "delayed but correct." According to her, the idea to change the head of the PMC belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin's son Pavel.
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