Published: Just now
Up to 200,000 Russian soldiers are reported to have died in the war in Ukraine. A “significant minority” of these have died from alcohol, crime and accidents, writes the British Ministry of Defense in its daily update on Twitter.
Heavy alcohol consumption is common in Russian society and is quietly seen as an accepted part of military life, even during combat, the Ministry of Defense writes.
Other non-combat causes of death include mishandling of weapons, traffic accidents and frostbite.
The Department of Defense in Great Britain refers to a report on the Telegram news channel. The report addresses a “very high number” of incidents where Russian soldiers died from causes that can be linked to alcohol.
There are many indications that Russia will soon replace Valery Gerasimov who is the supreme commander of the invasion forces in Ukraine, writes the American think tank Institute for the study of war (ISW). According to ISW, Gerasimov has failed to achieve the Russian goal: to take Donetsk and Luhansk before the end of March.
In January, Gerasimov replaced Sergei Surovikin as commander in Ukraine. Surovikin only had four months in the post.