Daily Beast:
- Drugs: Soldiers who spent two long years defending Ukraine from Russia use MDMA, amphetamines, marijuana and illegal alcohol in combat zones Several soldiers who spoke to The Daily Beast claim that some of those defending Ukraine also abuse illegal substances, which they buy through shady online companies run by the country's "mafia."
- Kharkov: Fighting on the front lines took a catastrophic turn after Russia broke through the Kharkov defense line on May 10. Across eastern Ukraine, the brutal fallout from a six-month pause in new American aid has led to massive battlefield casualties. Ukrainian soldiers who risk their lives for their country suffer physical and psychological trauma. Unable to rest from the all-encompassing effects of war, many turn to drugs and alcohol, plunging the military further into darkness. Alcohol is banned on the front lines and all stores and restaurants are prohibited from selling it, but it still finds its way to the front lines through off-duty soldiers, volunteers, smugglers who charge exorbitant prices, or journalists who bring it as a peace offering before interviews begin. -
Ukraine Is Desperate to Find Military Recruits: Amid a six-month pause in U.S. aid, some soldiers told The Daily Beast that they had not been removed from the front lines in eight months, while others said they had no ammunition or available infantrymen left, and many were seriously wounded or killed . Ukraine is desperately trying to find recruits to serve in the army. Last month, Ukraine's parliament passed a new law to mobilize hundreds of thousands of new soldiers, lowered the mobilization age from 27 to 25 and put pressure on men living abroad to return home, including by suspending civilian services such as passport renewals .