As Many as 10 Russian Soldiers Dead in Alleged Alcohol Poisoning Incident, Ukraine Reports

Tank trucks used by a private company to supply petrol station chains are damaged in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on May 15, 2026. (Photo: Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via AP)

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency has published communications that it says show Russian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region suffered fatalities linked to suspected alcohol poisoning, according to reports from multiple Ukrainian outlets.

The alleged incident reportedly involved soldiers from Russia’s 166th Separate Motor Rifle Brigade of the 19th Motor Rifle Division, part of the 58th Combined Arms Army operating near Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia sector.

According to audio published on Facebook by the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine, one Russian serviceman described multiple soldiers dying after consuming what he characterized as poisoned alcohol at an observation post. In the recording, another voice allegedly confirmed that “eight to ten” bodies remained at the position and had not been evacuated for several days.

“And ours and the allies were neatly laid out, covered with sleeping bags,” one speaker says in the intercepted conversation published by Ukrainian authorities, as reported by Ukrainian National News.

The claims have not been independently verified, and Russian officials have not publicly commented on the alleged incident.

The report comes amid broader Ukrainian allegations of alcohol-related discipline issues among Russian forces operating in southern and eastern Ukraine. According to UNITED24 Media, the Ukrainian partisan movement ATESH has also accused elements of Russia’s 108th Air Assault Brigade of widespread alcohol abuse and declining morale in the Zaporizhzhia direction.

ATESH claimed alcohol consumption within the unit had become “systematic and normalized,” alleging some newly arrived Russian servicemen had died from consuming surrogate or low-quality alcohol products rather than in combat.

UNN separately reported that Ukraine’s intelligence service said the bodies of the deceased soldiers allegedly remained at their positions for five to six days without evacuation.

The reports surfaced as fighting continues along the Zaporizhzhia front, where both Russian and Ukrainian forces have reported sustained combat activity in recent months.