UK intelligence shares information about conditions Russian soldiers face in Ukraine

The UK Ministry of Defense shared the information on X.

“As winter approaches, eyewitness accounts from deployed Russian troops in Ukraine suggest that the soldier's age-old battle against the elements remains a major preoccupation for Russia's army,” the message reads. 

The report states that on November 1, 2023, recently returned Russian soldiers speaking at the Ogakov Readings military affairs conference in Moscow described being "wet from head to toe" for weeks on end. 

One of the soldiers shared that the risk of fire alerting Ukrainian forces meant that they "couldn't even boil a mug of tea.” They highlighted living and eating "monotonous" food in pervasive mud.

“Maintaining a decent level of personal comfort and sound administration in defensive positions is challenging for any army. However, open-source evidence suggests a generally very poor level of enforcement of basic field administration amongst Russian forces. This is likely partially caused by a deficit in motivated junior commanders as well as variable logistical support,” the report concludes. 

• In occupied Lysychansk, Luhansk region, locals were given a choice. They were given the option to address their heating issues on their own or to stay in temporary accommodation centers during the winter.