Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/Associated Press
- Russian troops are dying in Ukraine due to incidents linked to alcohol consumption, the UK MoD says.
- Heavy drinking is tacitly accepted by the military, even in combat operations, it said.
- The ministry estimated that Russia has suffered up to 200,000 casualties since the war began.
Many Russian troops are dying in Ukraine because of non-combat issues such as alcohol consumption and poor weapons handling drills, the UK defense ministry said in an intelligence update on Sunday.
The ministry estimated that Russia has suffered up to 200,000 casualties since its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago and that a "significant minority" has not been due to the fighting.
A Russian Telegram news channel reported in March that alcohol consumption is a particular issue amongst the deployed Russian troops and that "extremely high" incidents, crimes, and deaths have been linked to it.
The ministry noted that heavy drinking is commonplace in Russian society and has become a tacitly accepted part of military life, even in combat.
Russian commanders are likely finding alcohol abuse to be especially detrimental to combat effectiveness, the ministry said.
Aside from that, it said other common causes of non-combat casualties likely include poor weapon handling drills, road traffic accidents, and hypothermia.
There have been reports of Russian soldiers freezing to death on the front lines during a brutal winter because they are inadequately equipped.
Russia is currently in the midst of a winter offensive, which aims to extend Russian control over the whole Donbas region in Ukraine.
The mission has been largely unsuccessful, with Russia making minimal gains in exchange for high losses.