Ukraine’s defence ministry has fired a top commander after photos emerged of a group of emaciated soldiers who have been left on the frontline for months without proper food and water.
The scandal erupted after the wife of one of the soldiers, Anastasiia Silchuk, posted the images on social media. The four men appeared to be pale and visibly malnourished, with prominent ribcages and thin arms.
The soldiers had spent eight months defending a shrinking bulge of territory on the left bank of the Oskil River, near the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, their relatives said. Supplies of food and medicines could only be flown in by drone.
“When the lads arrived at the frontlines, they weighed over 80–90kg. But now they weigh around 50kg,” Silchuk posted. After one delivery, she said, no more food turned up for 10 days. The soldiers were forced to drink rainwater and melt snow to survive.
“The longest they went without food was 17 days. They weren’t listened to on the radio, or perhaps no one wanted to listen to them. My husband shouted and begged, saying there was no food and water,” she said, adding that the problem was bigger than just one case.
Now that Hungary is finally free from putins cock puppet and the EU loan is released, hopefully this sort of situation can be avoided.
I sincerely doubt it. The EU has consistently dropped the ball on this, with or without Orban.
This is not a problem of funds. It’s been a choice made by the higher ups in the Ukrainian military. there have been countless times where it became evident that Ukrainian soldiers are being surrounded and the choices were either to retract them. or keep them in their position without food or ammunition until they get annihilated. And they choice was always to let them be encircled and let them fight to the last one. It’s been seen in Avdivka and many other cities
You mean this isn’t a kupiansk problem but it is generalized all along the ukrainian frontline?
Yeah. It started a long time before Kupiansk. especially when russia’s advances pickup steam 2024-2025. this year russia is struggling to advance. and even struggling to surround Kostiantinivka which is a key battle ground city. The situation is very confusing as to why the the frontline is frozen. Russia is either panicking or blindly following on plan’s made years in advance.
The Frontline is frozen because of drones and russia has no idea what it’s doing. It’s why they’ve been using meat ways for years.
I’m not super well versed on all of this in Ukraine, is there a reason this suggests that this was unavoidable before?
It waswas definitely avoidable but the situation for many soldiers in forward positions is tense at the best of times.
I am no expert on this but I believe the additional funds will not improve the situation for the grunts in the trenches significantly because the issue is not a lack of materials. Instead it’s the ubiquity of cheap kamikaze and spotter drones that makes logistics so difficult because any sizeable movement attracts an immediate response.
I think instead the funds will to a significant portion be spent on purchasing material that are actually in short supply like missile interceptors to bolster defense against Russian air threats beyond drones.
Are the investments for long term drone improvements coming from Ukraine’s budget or NATO procurement?
Right, do you have any sources on that I can check out?
My main source of information on the Ukraine conflict is Perun, an Aussie working in or at least adjacent to the military industrial complex. He has a playlist of presentations (he basically delivers narrated PowerPoint presentations instead of “traditional” videos) on Ukraine.
I see, checked them out a bit. Kind of frustrating that it appears as though this is just someone who has worked in defense contracting and the sources they list are just typically news sites (which indicates to me they don’t have access to or do not use whatever scholarly access they would have if they have a degree related to this). So, they seem like more of a reporter who is aggregating news coverage with some public documentation.
I’m sure their videos can be informative, but I’m more curious about how this is argued and measured as many experts in these fields are pretty incapable of articulating how systemic, material, and social conditions facilitate instances like this and how reflective they are of individuals’ decisions or systemic dysfunction.
Perun approaches the topic from an economical and strategic viewpoint. And yes, he uses mostly open source information because it would be very unwise for his career to use any form of insider information he might possess. Though if you have a look around the channel you can also find some interviews with experts in specific fields. And also yes, if you are more interested in the day-to-day situation on the ground I’d recommend checking out other channels as well. It’s his stated goal to provide a top down view.
Oh, what I was talking about would still be a top down analysis, just one that is more informed and nuanced to create better explanations. Economic and political lenses exclusively tend to be distortive and only useful for people who subscribe to their preexisting explanations for things (and it doesn’t seem like this person is qualified to produce those beyond their individual experiences).
While we could start a whole philosophical debate about whether or not anyone can provide anything but their individual experience of things, I doubt someone unqualified would have been invited as observer to NATO wargames.
Avoided? All the EU loan will do is prolong this situation. Ukraine has absolutely no chance of winning that should be crystal clear after the previous hundred billion. More Ukrainians will be thrown into the meat grinder to meat the exact same fate as this man just to weaken Russia. Of which the oil is being unsanctioned so that both sides now have more money to throw conscripts into the meatgrinder. What a fantastic resolution.
Useful idiot.
No u
Every day without Russian boots on the neck of Europeans is a good day.
Fight till the last Ukrainian!
No, it’s sick how Ukraine has beared the brunt of Russia’s aggression since 2014. We should have NATO troops in Ukraine.
You can sign up today as a volunteer in the Ukrainian army to defend Ukraine against Russia. Why are you posting on Lemmy? Go risk your life for what you believe Ukrainians should be forced to risk their lives for.
I already personally donate to the Ukrainian army, and my friends and I organize coordinated help for Ukraine.
I am not militarily trained, so I wouldn’t be much help as a volunteer.
But you’re right, Europeans should show more solidarity and support Ukraine more.
Don’t worry the Ukrainian conscripts who are thrown into a van and dumped at the frontlines aren’t militarily trained either. You can get military training in Ukraine, just join the legion.
Or are you saying that you aren’t willing to risk your life for the thing you demand others risk their lives for?
What’s your solution then? Force Ukraine to surrender, so Russia can starve Ukrainians without them being able to shoot back?
Just stop giving Ukraine money so they have to come to an agreement. You’re talking as if the average Ukrainian concript wants to get sent to the frontline to die for a pointless war which will result in Ukraine losing anyway when Europe loses interest.
Unlike actual resistance fighters, Ukrainians don’t want to participate in the war.
An “agreement” under duress that includes territorial concessions. And the inhabitants of those territories will then promptly be genocided.
And then Russia will attack again when they’ve rearmed, to do the same to the rest of Ukraine.
Amazing solution.
There is such a thing as security guarantees.
Ukraine had guarantees before they were invaded
They had worthless security guarantees which were not enforceable.
This you?
The only way to enforce a guarantee is with guns you dipshit
Guarantees from russia? The only guarantee would be to dissolve russia once and for all.
Which are completely useless when Russia frames territorial gains as a great victory and uses that as a propaganda tool to propel its minions into power in guarantor countries, like AfD, Reform, RN
Europe losing interest has been a talking point since 2022 but it has never actually happened.
It certainly is a pointles war, but not becuase of Ukraine. As long as Ukraine as a country wants to keep fighting, I see no reason not the help them defend them selves.
Ukraine as a country doesn’t want to keep fighting at all. There’s a reason Zelensky is not allowing elections. Ukrainians are as happy to go into the meat grinder as the average Russian.
Europe promised to give Ukraine what they needed to win and then gave Ukraine their old equipment to just barely keep hanging on while Europe bought new military gear. Not the mention the age demographics aren’t looking too hot. Manpower isn’t infinite.
These are Russian lies.
Even Western media is reporting on it these days get with the times.
If they have enough soldiers, then why was this platoon malnourished and forgotten? Why are all of Ukraine’s big “wins” in the media all done by use of drone? Where are these magical, Ukrainian Super Soldiers to retake ground against Russia?
Because shit happens, and some commanders still have this “USSR” logic.
You think war is just black and white and easy?
FFS even the USA, the strongest military in the world has a food issue occuring right now on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
War isn’t a video game.
Removed by mod