Drunk and Dangerous: Russian Troops Reportedly Sabotaging Their Own in Ukraine

A Russian airborne unit operating in the Zaporizhzhia direction is reportedly experiencing a breakdown in discipline due to widespread alcohol abuse, leading to fatalities and posing risks to fellow soldiers, according to a Telegram post published by the Ukrainian partisan movement Atesh.

According to Atesh, the 108th Air Assault Regiment of Russia’s armed forces has entered what it described as a “critical state,” with alcohol consumption among its personnel becoming both systematic and normalized. The group reported that the problem has intensified with the onset of colder weather.

“At the approach of winter, the daily need for alcohol has transformed the unit into a formation incapable of fulfilling combat duties,” Atesh stated. “The so-called ‘100 grams’ have become liters, and the regiment has turned into a hub of alcoholism.”

The partisan movement alleges that newly deployed soldiers have died not in combat but from alcohol poisoning, specifically from consuming surrogate or low-quality liquor.

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Atesh claims that Russian commanders are intentionally ignoring the issue, describing in their post that “drunk soldiers are a convenient resource—they don’t ask questions and will storm positions ‘warmed up.’”

However, this tolerance of alcohol abuse reportedly contributes to operational risks and tensions within the ranks.

Atesh cited multiple incidents in which intoxicated soldiers endangered their comrades by making noise at frontline positions, using flashlights, falling asleep while on guard duty, forgetting their weapons, and even opening fire on fellow Russian troops.

Earlier, a captured Russian soldier told Ukrainian forces that he signed his military contract while “completely drunk” on vodka. According to Euromaidan Press, Mikhail Krasnachokov, a 41-year-old tractor driver from Russia’s Altai region, admitted he enlisted while intoxicated and later served in a unit he described as filled with “alcoholics and one drug-addict.”

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