this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2026
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Ukrainian soldiers left emaciated on frontline from lack of food and water (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 2 days ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/world@lemmy.world
53 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

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.

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[–] perestroika@slrpnk.net 121 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

Good luck to the soldiers who decided to go public with their situation. I hope they get rotated out and get some extremely deserved rest, if they get lucky then until war is over.

As for the brigade commander, unless he can show the court spectacular excuses, I sincerely hope he likes it in jail, because without a spectacular excuse, that's where things are heading for him.

One does not leave units to die, but recalls them. If one cannot recall an unit, one does not lie about it, and supplies them with all available means of staying alive and getting out.

[–] Tryenjer@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Even setting aside the moral aspect, this is also bad from a purely strategic point of view, considering that Ukraine has been struggling to get enough fighters and therefore cannot afford to let the remaining soldiers starve to death.

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I have a feeling this case is the bare tip of the iceberg when it comes to supply neglect.

Supply logistics are every bit as important and challenging as combat tactics when it comes to winning a war.

[–] TheLunatickle@lemmy.zip 78 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Now that Hungary is finally free from putins cock puppet and the EU loan is released, hopefully this sort of situation can be avoided.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm not super well versed on all of this in Ukraine, is there a reason this suggests that this was unavoidable before?

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 17 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (2 children)

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.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Right, do you have any sources on that I can check out?

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 7 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

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).

[–] einkorn@feddit.org 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] orioler25@lemmy.world 0 points 2 days ago

We couldn't, because this is an internet comment thread and you don't seem to understand how these topics intersect. Also, yes, someone who is invited to some NATO workshop is not likely to be qualified to answer my questions by merit of it being a workshop for experts in the exact thing I am saying is not sufficient to.

[–] Mr_WorldlyWiseman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 days ago

Are the investments for long term drone improvements coming from Ukraine's budget or NATO procurement?

[–] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 1 points 1 day ago

I sincerely doubt it. The EU has consistently dropped the ball on this, with or without Orban.

[–] anticurrent@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

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

[–] SpruceBringsteen@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

A lot of that is the insane lethality and size of the front in this war. If someone is on the front, it's 50km before you can begin to start feeling safe from drones. Are you going to amplify attrition on rescue missions that have a high chance of failure?

Some of the problem is that there's been heavy incentives on destroying enemy equipment. An attacking drone unit has their eyes on what keeps their unit running and likely isn't coordinating too heavily with a defense unit that's been in a hole for months.

If they can gamify the recording of strikes for supplies, they could also put an increasing bounty on supplying units via drop the longer they've been without. The reinforcement/evac of troops in these positions is a tough nut to crack.

[–] Siegfried@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

You mean this isn't a kupiansk problem but it is generalized all along the ukrainian frontline?

[–] anticurrent@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

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.

[–] SupraMario@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

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.

[–] anticurrent@sh.itjust.works 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Having a tendency to always read sentences in halves. I went straight into clicking the article, I was shocked at how very little remains on the bones of those men at was very disgusted at how Russia is torturing its prisoners.

I started reading the article from the bottom. and that testimony of the woman who said that since the news went public, her husband wrote wrote to her reassuring her that they have started receiving more food, this confused me cause since when did Ukrainian prisoners in Russia get to write back to their families.

I went up the article, and that's when I truly was shocked to discover that these men were not uks prisoners in Russia but Ukrainian combatants in the front line who haven't eaten for 17 days. I can't even imagine going for 5 days without food let alone 17 days. and that this is all done to them by their own commanders forcing them to defend slivers of land with zero regard to their condition. contrast that with the hundred of thousands of young Ukrainian men who fled the country because they had the means to bribe to escape. I don't blame those who are doing their best to dodge the draft in such an unfair regime.

[–] bobzer@lemmy.zip 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I wonder why Ukraine can't easily get supplies to the frontline.

Could there possibly be a larger imperialist neighbour trying to kill them???

[–] Donkter@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

No! It's the people who don't want their country invaded who are wrong!

[–] Smoogs@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago (1 children)

There’s more to the story than that if you read more of it. Russia was intercepting their methods to feed the men. They are also trying to be very cautious of giving away position

Which is not to excuse the situation, but nothing is straight bad and straight good. War is shit. And furthermore I wouldn’t call this a ‘fix’.

The men are still uncertain that their food line will not jsut get interrupted by Russia again. So even they are aware this isn’t a ‘fix’.

It’s just PR.

The fix would be if the war ended. And even then it’s a very very Far cry from all the damage that has already been done to call that a fix.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 1 points 1 day ago

I suspected something like this especially when it mentioned the food coming in on drones. Its like any other war were a group of soldiers are isolated but still able to defend or hold the territory.

[–] northernlights@lemmy.today 14 points 2 days ago

These guys just can't catch a break.

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