As Russia’s full invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth year, disturbing new evidence points to an alarming collapse in the Russian army’s frontline support systems. At the centre of this growing disaster is Vladimir Putin, whose failing war strategy has not only cost hundreds of thousands of lives but is now leaving his own troops starving to death. Shockingly, some Russian soldiers have been reduced to eating dog meat to survive.
Recent intercepted calls published by Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) reveal horrifying conditions for Russian soldiers. In one call, a woman explains how her relatives, stationed on the front line, were trapped in a bunker without food for fifteen days. Unable to find anything to eat, they were forced to consume leftover flu medicine, scraps, and finally, a dog believed to be their own pet, named Fuma. The desperation in her voice is heart-breaking: “They even ate their Fuma.”
In another recording, a Russian soldier casually tells a friend they had eaten a Yorkshire Terrier to avoid starving. “We ate a Yorkie today,” he says bluntly. This grim admission symbolises the extent of neglect and human suffering under Putin’s war.
Previous cases of dog meat on the Russian front have been well documented.
The crisis is not limited to a few isolated cases. Ukrainian and British defence officials report widespread logistical breakdowns in the Russian army. Basic supplies i.e. food, fuel, ammunition are either delayed or non-existent. Many frontline soldiers, especially those in so-called “Storm Z” units, are abandoned without backup. These units are mostly made up of convicts, disciplinary cases, or those forcibly recruited, often considered expendable and thrown into suicidal missions without rotation or support.
Putin’s focus on territorial gains has come at the cost of his own people. Soldiers are increasingly demoralised, fearful, and abandoned. Commanders have turned to violence or threats to maintain order among troops who no longer see the point of their mission. Many report knowing they are being sent to die and that there is no way out except to follow orders or face punishment.
In the words of Ukraine’s Defence Ministry, the Kremlin has “completely disregarded human life”. Soldiers are starving in frozen trenches, surviving on whatever they can scavenge. With no supply lines, no morale, and no care from their leaders, they are left to die unseen and unheard.
The British Ministry of Defence has stated that Russia’s losses are among the largest seen in a modern conflict in such a short span (Over 940,000 soldiers killed or wounded since the full invasion began in 2022). This includes not only those killed or wounded, but also those suffering from psychological breakdowns, desertions, and other non-combat losses. Russia’s original belief that the war would last a few weeks has backfired disastrously. No one was prepared for a long war.
