British intelligence blames alcohol and hypothermia for “significant” number of Russian casualties in Ukraine war

UK military intelligence estimated that a “significant” number of Russian victims in the war in Ukraine were caused by factors not directly related to the fighting, such as alcohol abuse or colds, Europa Press reported.

In its latest assessment of the development of the conflict, published this Saturday, the British Ministry of Defense estimates that Russia has suffered “up to 200,000 casualties” – that is, dead or injured – of which a “significant minority” is due to this class of factors. The British Ministry of Defense bases its information on a “Russian news channel on Telegram” that talks about “an exceptionally large number of incidents, crimes and deaths” among Russian ranks “due to alcohol consumption”.

Among other additional reasons, the Ministry of Defense cites “hypothermia, poor handling of weapons during training and traffic accidents” on Russian supply routes. “Russian commanders are likely to identify widespread alcohol abuse as particularly detrimental to combat effectiveness”according to the British Ministry of Defence.

“However, since excessive alcohol consumption is widespread in a large part of Russian society, it has long been considered a tacitly accepted part of military life, even in combat operations,” the Ministry concludes.