A significant minority of Russia’s 200,000 Ukraine War casualties have been due to non-combat causes, with many linked to alcohol abuse, the United Kingdom Defense Ministry assessed in a Sunday morning intelligence update.
The UK Defense Ministry said that Russian sources have indicated a high number of alcohol-linked incidents, crimes and deaths among deployed Russian soldiers.
“Russian commanders likely identify pervasive alcohol abuse as particularly detrimental to combat effectiveness,” said the UK Defense Ministry. “However, with heavy drinking pervasive across much of Russian society, it has long been seen as a tacitly accepted part of military life, even on combat operations.”
Other non-combat deaths among Russian forces are likely to include poor weapon handling, road traffic accidents, and hypothermia, said the ministry.
