OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images
Ukraine's military intelligence agency said on Monday that over 600 Russian troops have died in the last two years due to non-combat reasons, including drug abuse and food poisoning.
The Ukrainian defense intelligence agency, or HUR, wrote in a statement that the deceased reported to Russia's Central Military District, one of five jurisdictions in the country.
The district covers central Russia, encompassing regions that host nearly 40% of the country's population.
HUR wrote that "low quality of food" among Russia's military units led to 32 of the district's troops dying from food poisoning since 2024.
The agency added that at least 112 Russian troops have died from drug abuse in the first half of the year, while another 143 died from drug poisoning in the whole of 2024.
Another 157 Russian soldiers from the district died from suicide in the same timeframe, HUR wrote.
The Ukrainian agency did not say how it acquired this information, and Business Insider could not independently verify HUR's figures.
Its report comes after Ukrainian units in northern Kharkiv said in September 2024 that they had found cases of mass food poisoning among the ranks of Russia's 11th Tank Regiment of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division.
The 18th Motorized Rifle Division, however, belongs to the Leningrad Military District.
"The increase in the level of suicides, crime, and drug abuse among the Russian military is a sign of the deep demoralization of the occupation contingent," HUR wrote.
The Russian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.
Drug abuse among Russian troops has been regularly reported on the front lines. In late 2023, the independent Russian outlet Vertska reported that up to 15% of Russian soldiers in combat zones were taking substances such as mephedrone, amphetamines, and alpha-PVP, which is also known as "salt."
The UK defense ministry said in November of that year that it had similarly observed repeated reports of "disciplinary incidents, crimes, and deaths related to alcohol abuse" among Russian troops.
Still, the number of non-combat deaths reported by HUR on Monday is just a small fraction of the total Russian force deployed in Ukraine.
Recent estimates from Kyiv indicate that Russia now stations a total of about 700,000 troops in Ukraine, while international analysts have said the number may be around 600,000 troops.
Ukraine also said last week that over 1.15 million Russian troops have been wounded or killed in the war. A US intelligence report in March estimated the figure to be more than 750,000 Russian troops.
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