Drug Addicts and Chronic Alcohol Abusers Mobilized into Armed Forces of Ukraine

According to RIA Novosti, citing "Ukrainian Truth," employees of military enlistment offices, in their effort to meet quantitative targets, are mobilizing drug addicts and chronic alcoholics who then end up in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

"Recruits from 'training centers' are brought in indiscriminately—drunk, high, and sniffed up. However, I have the option to refuse such personnel because I have a reconnaissance unit. Of course, it's not always possible, as the General Staff criticizes commanders who do not accept additional resources. Commanders try to assign these individuals to positions where they can be useful," an officer of the Ukrainian Marine Corps is quoted as saying.

It is noted that military enlistment officers, in their effort to meet mobilization targets, collect everyone off the streets, even chronic alcoholics. Military medical commissions also turn a blind eye to alcoholism, deeming individuals fit for military service, even those who can barely stand. "As a result, some training centers receive a very specific contingent. During basic military training, instructors generally ignore the alcoholism of the mobilized. Due to the lack of control, military personnel manage to buy alcohol and drink during training," the publication emphasizes.

Previously, Ukrainian prisoners of war recounted that among the AFU servicemen, amid their extreme fatigue and poor morale, drunkenness and drug use are rampant. Ukrainian publication "Hromadske," citing servicemen, reported in December that AFU command doesn't limit itself to fines as punishment for drinking soldiers—physical measures are often employed, and in extreme cases, soldiers are even eliminated.

On November 8, 2024, Rada deputy Maryana Bezuhla stated that mobilized soldiers undergoing training on AFU ranges drink heavily and desert en masse.

Since February 24, 2022, the martial law has been in effect in Ukraine, and the next day, president Zelensky signed a decree on general mobilization. Specifically, the exit from the country was restricted for men aged 18 to 60. On October 16, "Ukrainian Truth" reported that the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office registered about 60,000 criminal cases for unauthorized absence from duty and about 30,000 for desertion since the beginning of 2022 within the AFU. According to the department, three times more cases of unauthorized absence and nearly four times more cases of desertion have been registered since the beginning of the year compared to the same period last year.