Ukrainian Soldiers Speculate About Russian Troops Being on Drugs
According to a Ukrainian soldier fighting in Bakhmut, soldiers from Russia’s Wagner Group appeared to be on drugs. The Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary unit that has emerged as a key ally in Russia’s advance inside Ukraine, has previously sparked controversy when it offered convicted Russian prisoners freedom in return for fighting. Fighters from the Wagner group are known for storming frontline positions and enduring severe casualties.
While there is no evidence to support the claim that the soldiers are on drugs, this is not the first time that Ukrainians have speculated that the behavior of Russian soldiers could be medically induced. Earlier in November, soldiers from Ukraine claimed that the Russian soldiers seemed like “zombies.”
It’s a kind of behavior that soldiers from Ukraine’s Third Assault Brigade, which is currently fighting the Wagner Group in the key eastern city of Bakhmut, believe could be the result of the intake of drugs. The unit’s media officer told The New York Times that 10 to 15 Wagner fighters were advancing on their position, to their almost certain deaths, every day during the first month of fighting.
According to a retired US Marine, the average life expectancy of a Wagner soldier on the frontlines in eastern Ukraine is just four hours. And a 48-year-old prison inmate, who exchanged his freedom to serve in Russia’s Wagner Group, told the Wall Street Journal earlier this month that the group only trained him for three weeks and that he expected to die on his first mission.
While there’s no evidence that fighters from the Wagner Group are taking drugs, there is a long history of drug-taking in conflict. During World War II, Nazi soldiers took amphetamines to increase their alertness and vigilance, while Russia’s Ministry of Defense gave every Russian soldier on the frontline a 100-gram ration of vodka called the commissar’s ration. In World War 1, cocaine and heroin use was common among soldiers.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is complicated, with no easy solutions. The speculation about the use of drugs only adds to the complexities of the situation for both sides in this ongoing conflict.
