Putin's Military Suffers Another Blow as Drug Use Runs Wild

Up to 15 percent of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine are using drugs, according to the latest intelligence report by the British Ministry of Defense.

In an update published Monday, U.K.'s Defense Ministry verified a September report from the independent Russian language news outlet Vertska, which said that drugs, including amphetamines and cannabis, were easy to obtain along the frontlines. In a separate report published in October, Vertksa interviewed dozens of soldiers and residents living in Russian-occupied territories, which found that roughly one in 10 of Moscow's troops are smoking marijuana and may also be using hard drugs.

"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," the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its report, which was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.

"Russian commanders likely frequently punish drug and alcohol abusers by posting them to Storm-Z assault detachments, which have effectively become penal units," the ministry continued. "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."

Newsweek reached out to Russia's Defense Ministry via email for comment.

In October's report, one Russian soldier had told Verstka that some troops turned to drugs "out of boredom," while another described how easy it was for troops to get ahold of drugs along the front lines.

"It's like in Las Vegas," said another Moscow fighter.

Since the start of the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin's troops have been plagued by low morale and inadequate training, and British officials estimated at the end of October that Russia's casualties had totaled up to 190,000. Ukrainian sources place that estimate at much higher, saying at the beginning of November that Russia had lost over 300,000 troops. Newsweek was unable to verify the numbers independently.

The issues have led to some Russian soldiers refusing orders along the frontlines, including a recent incident of troops deployed to the Crimea Peninsula who reportedly beat their deputy commander to death before fleeing, according to Ukraine intelligence.

Russia is reportedly stepping up its recruitment in response to its rising death toll, including by targeting more vulnerable populations to coax citizens into fighting in the war against Ukraine. At the time, Kremlin officials, including Putin, have vowed to hold off on enacting another partial mobilization—similar to the one last fall that was wildly unpopular among citizens.

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