Ukraine’s defense ministry has dismissed a senior commander after photos surfaced showing a group of severely malnourished soldiers who had been left on the front line for months without enough food or water.
The scandal broke when Anastasiia Silchuk, the wife of one of the soldiers, shared the images on social media. The four men looked pale and clearly underfed, with visible ribs and thin arms.
The soldiers had spent eight months defending a shrinking area on the left bank of the Oskil River, near the northeastern city of Kupiansk, according to their families. Food and medicine could only be delivered by drone.
“When the guys arrived at the front, they weighed over 80–90 kg. Now they weigh around 50 kg,” Silchuk wrote. After one delivery, she said, no more food came for ten days. The soldiers had to drink rainwater and melt snow to survive.
“The longest they went without food was 17 days. No one responded to them on the radio, or maybe no one wanted to listen. My husband shouted and begged, saying there was no food or water,” she said, adding that the problem went beyond just this one case.
Another relative, Ivanna Poberezhnyuk, said the soldiers from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade were left in a very tough spot. “Fighters are passing out from hunger,” she said. Her father was evacuated from the position, but others were still stuck there.
Ukraine’s general staff said it had replaced the commander responsible for feeding the soldiers. The brigade admitted there were logistical issues and said deliveries could only be made by air because their position was extremely close to enemy lines.
A spokesperson said: “Everything is done by drones. The Russians focus heavily on intercepting food, ammunition, and fuel deliveries. They shoot down as much as they can. Sometimes they’re less interested in our military equipment than in cutting off our supplies.”
Since Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in early 2022, the no-man’s land between the two sides has grown significantly. Both sides use drones extensively for surveillance and to target armored vehicles and infantry. Soldiers often have to walk 10–15 km to reach their forward positions.
In recent months, Ukraine has increasingly used unmanned ground robots to deliver supplies to exposed areas and evacuate wounded soldiers. In the Kupiansk sector, Russia has destroyed bridges across the Oskil River in an attempt to cut off Ukrainian forces on the left bank.
Silchuk said on Friday that conditions have improved since the issue became public. “There’s a new commander,” she wrote. “He called us and said the situation is being fixed. And it really is. My husband told me he just ate more than he has in the last eight months.”
She added: “The guys are eating a little at a time now. Their stomachs have shrunk, and they don’t know if they’ll have food tomorrow. I think this situation needed to be made public. They need to be rotated out; the men need medical care.”
Ukraine’s military command said it had launched an investigation. “It should be noted that another food delivery was recently made to the position of the 14th Infantry Brigade. If conditions allow, our soldiers will be evacuated as soon as possible,” it added.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs regarding reports of Ukrainian soldiers on the front line suffering from emaciation due to a lack of food and water
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Is it true that Ukrainian soldiers are starving on the front line
Yes there have been multiple reports from soldiers medics and journalists indicating that in some of the most intense and isolated sectors of the front line troops are suffering from severe food and water shortages This has led to weight loss weakness and emaciation
2 Why cant they just get food from nearby towns
Many frontline positions are in grey zones or areas that have been completely destroyed by constant shelling The nearby towns are often rubble and any supply routes are under constant drone and artillery surveillance making it extremely dangerous to move food or water
3 How bad is the lack of water
Extremely bad In some trench systems soldiers have to ration their water to just a few sips a day They often cannot boil or purify local water sources because doing so would create smoke or light giving away their position to enemy drones
4 What does emaciated mean in this context
It means the soldiers are becoming dangerously thin They are losing muscle mass and body fat because they are not getting enough calories or nutrients to sustain their highenergy activities
AdvancedLevel Questions
5 What are the main logistical reasons for the food shortages
The primary reasons are
Russian Electronic Warfare Drones Constant drone surveillance makes it nearly impossible to move supply vehicles or even individual soldiers carrying heavy packs
Artillery Denial Russian artillery deliberately targets known supply routes and last mile dropoff points
Weather Terrain Mud in spring and fall can make roads impassable for vehicles leaving only foot resupply
6 Is this a problem for all Ukrainian units or just specific brigades
It is not universal across the entire 1000km front line It is most acute in hot spots like Avdiivka Bakhmut and areas near Robotyne Units that are on the offensive or holding a salient face the worst shortages because their supply lines are longer and more exposed
