Drug use on Ukraine’s front lines ‘rampant among Russian troops’
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A news report published on March 12, 2026, indicates widespread drug use among Russian troops fighting in Ukraine. According to a disillusioned Russian soldier who deserted, drug use was rampant in his Ural Battalion, with a squad leader dying of an overdose in early 2023. He alleges the command covered up the overdose by reporting the death as combat-related. The report suggests that the prevalence of drug use is due to modern technology, synthetic substances, and the deployment of soldiers with pre-existing substance abuse issues. The problem is exacerbated by the presence of convicted soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
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AI-Extracted61 percent of 133 Russian servicemen treated at a Novosibirsk psychiatric hospital suffered from drug-related mental ailments.
Drug use is common within Ukraine among soldiers on both sides.
38 percent of Ukrainian troops had partaken in amphetamines in the past three months.
After the officer’s death by overdose, Medvedev said, his body was dragged to the battle lines to be reported as killed in action.
A local worker from the abandoned mine where we were billeted was supplying our soldiers with drugs.
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