Ukrainian troops in distress: "We drank our urine"

While the Ukrainian propaganda machine continues to paint a picture of heroism, determination, and military successes, the reality emerging from the trenches is very different. In recent months, a series of direct testimonies and public denunciations have revealed a disturbing picture: entire units left for months on the front line without rotation, soldiers reduced to the brink of starvation and thirst, forced to drink rainwater or even their own urine to survive.

There is a deep gap between the official narrative and the inhumane conditions in which many units find themselves, victims of a collapsed logistics in some operational realities and of a management of human resources that is affected by desertions and draft evasion.

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The case of the 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade: eight months of hell

The first case that shook Ukrainian public opinion dates back to April 2026. Relatives of soldiers from the 14th Separate Mechanised Brigade published shocking images of their loved ones on social media, emaciated and starving. The soldiers of the 2nd Mechanised Battalion had been left for eight months to defend a narrow bridgehead on the left bank of the Oskil River, near Kupiansk, without a constant supply of food and water.

The testimonies are chilling. Anastasiia Silchuk, the wife of a soldier, recounted that the men weighed over 80-90 kilograms upon arrival at the front and now weigh about 50. On one occasion, they went without food for 17 consecutive days. Forced to drink rainwater and melt snow to survive, the soldiers sent requests for help via radio that went unheard. Ivanna Poberezhniuk, daughter of a former soldier of the brigade, reported that the soldiers were losing consciousness from hunger.

The authorities' response only came after the media scandal. The commander of the 14th Brigade and the commander of the X Corps were removed from their positions. The Ukrainian General Staff admitted that it was a "management failure". 

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The case of the 121st Territorial Defence Brigade: "We drank our urine"

The second case, even more dramatic, emerged in August 2026. Soldiers from the 121st Territorial Defence Brigade, deployed in the Zaporizhzhia region, published a desperate video appeal to the Chief of the Army, Mykhailo Drapaty.

Platoon commander Anatoliy Saichuk recounted that his unit had been deployed for what was supposed to be a one-month mission, but had remained on the front line for over four months without rotation. Supplies, which were supposed to arrive via drones, were intermittent or completely absent. "We are not provided with food or drinking water for periods ranging from three to seven days," Saichuk stated. On one occasion, the unit went for twelve days without water: "We drank our urine and waited for something to be parachuted to us".

The conditions led some soldiers to be in a semi-conscious state for several days. Saichuk accused senior officers of lying to families, assuring them that the men were "fully supplied". Faced with this situation, the commander decided to abandon the positions as soon as circumstances allowed.

In this case too, the brigade command confirmed the authenticity of the video but sought to downplay it, describing the incident as an "isolated fragment" in a "complex operational context". The "South" command promised to withdraw the soldiers "when the security situation allows".

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A systemic problem, not episodic

These two cases are not isolated. Testimonies from Ukrainian soldiers abandoned at the front without supplies are multiplying. The Kyiv Independent reported the story of two surviving soldiers who survived 165 days on the front line, forced to squeeze moisture from wet wipes to quench their thirst. The Ukrainian military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova admitted that, although severe logistical failures like those of the 14th Brigade are rare, long-term deployments on the front line remain "a major problem". A long-term deployment is the transfer of military personnel away from their base for an extended period.

The root of the problem is structural. The Ukrainian army suffers from a chronic shortage of personnel. Military enthusiasm has waned. There are violent recruitment methods (the so-called "busification"). 

To further complicate the situation, the intense use of drones by Russia has made troop and supply movements extremely dangerous. Deliveries of food, water, and ammunition are regularly intercepted and destroyed. But this does not justify abandoning men for months, nor lying to their families.

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Propaganda clashes with reality

While in Kyiv they speak of victories and advances by the heroic national troops, and while several major Western media uncritically amplify this narrative, thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are fighting a much more concrete battle: that for a hot meal and a sip of water. 

The images of the emaciated soldiers of the 14th Brigade and the desperate cries of the soldiers of the 121st are proof that the official narrative is often a staged performance that hides a much more tragic reality. A reality made up of forgotten men, left to wither from hunger and thirst.

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The torture of soldiers who do not want to fight

But all this is just one aspect of the war. There is also the violence exerted by senior officers on the troops. Among the assault units employed in key battles such as that of Kostjantynivka, the 425th regiment has come under accusation for a system of torture and suspicious deaths. Mines are reportedly placed around the units to prevent Ukrainian soldiers from deserting.

Among the most extreme practices that have been reported, some outlets recount stories of soldiers tied to the back of quad bikes and dragged along dirt tracks as a form of exemplary punishment against the reluctant or the “disobedient”. ATVs (All-Terrain Vehicles) - commonly also called Quads - are four-wheeled motorcycles designed for driving on various types of terrain. These vehicles are said to have been used to tie and drag undisciplined or reluctant soldiers to fight.