Russian soldiers in occupied regions of Ukraine frequently take synthetic drugs and smoke marijuana, according to a report.
Verstka, an independent Russian news website, spoke with "dozens" of soldiers and residents in Russian-occupied Ukraine "to build a picture of the abuse", said The Times. It found that soldiers could "easily" get drugs delivered to their trenches, "either sold by locals, delivered unwittingly by volunteers" or "brought in by the men themselves".
"It's like Las Vegas," one soldier told Verstka. "Everyone knows if you're taking drugs in the trenches, of course – the dugout is small. Nobody gives a damn; the main thing is not to bother anyone." Substance abuse takes place on both the frontlines and rear positions, according to the report.
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Mephedrone, amphetamines and alpha-PVP, known as "salt", are among the substances soldiers frequently take, with effects including "paranoia and hallucinations", said The Times. The drugs aren't cheap, due to "the risk of delivery in the war zone". Some soldiers use the Telegram app to arrange deliveries with dealers.
One user told Verstka that soldiers take drugs "out of boredom. War is when you're constantly waiting for something, occasionally praying for it all to be over." Another said he had also known of Ukrainian soldiers taking drugs.
For some servicemen, he said, "such self-medication is often the only way of reducing the psychological burden of combat and the horrors of war".
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