Russian commanders send drug and alcohol abusers to assault detachments – UK intel

The UK Ministry of Defence said this in an intelligence update posted on the social platform X, Ukrinform reports.

“In September 2023, independent Russian media outlet Vertska reported that up to 15% of Russian soldiers in Ukraine were using drugs, including amphetamines and cannabis, and that they were easy to obtain even on the frontline,” the report says.

The UK Ministry of Defence notes that these reports are credible and follow numerous reports since the invasion of a high rate of disciplinary incidents, crimes and deaths related to alcohol abuse amongst the Russian force.

“Russian commanders likely frequently punish drug and alcohol abusers by posting them to Storm-Z assault detachments, which have effectively become penal units,” the report says.

Experts at the UK Ministry of Defence say that one of the core drivers of poor Russian discipline and substance abuse likely remains the continued lack of opportunity for combat troops to rotate away from the front line.

As reported by Ukrinform, the UK intelligence in its previous report said that as of late October, large units of the Wagner Group were assimilated into the command structure of the Russian Guard under the leadership of Pavel Prigozhin, the son of the group's founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash in August.

Illustrative photo