Russian soldiers 'had to drink urine to survive' after being abandoned by commanders, POWs say
Russian troops were left with no food, water, or ammunition and had to drink their own urine to survive after being abandoned by their commanders, POWs captured by Ukraine have said. The claims were made in a video published by Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, which captured the Russian soldiers during Ukraine's "Operation Vivaldi," an ongoing successful counteroffensive against the Russian salient to…
Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine during Operation Vivaldi had to resort to drinking their own urine and water from muddy puddles and streams to survive, according to POWs. The captives were abandoned by their commanders, leaving them without food, water, and ammunition. In a video published by Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, Brig.
Gen. Andrii Biletskyi addressed the approximately 50 Russian prisoners, claiming that captivity was the best thing that could have happened to them. The soldiers reported severe shortages of resources, with one claiming to have lost more than 60 kilos in six months and another stating that some soldiers had died at their positions due to lack of food.
The captured soldiers also alleged that their commanders lied to them about the scale of the Ukrainian assault, leading to a breakdown in communication and coordination. Russian milbloggers have corroborated some of these claims, describing the dire conditions faced by Russian troops in the Lyman sector. The false reporting from Russian commanders has caused embarrassment for Russia's leadership, with President Vladimir Putin facing public ridicule after claiming victory in Sviatohirsk, which was later disproven by Ukrainian forces.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
