Ukrainian and Russian troops are suffering from “exceptional levels of rat and mouse infestation” in some areas of the front, according to the latest assessment by the UK Ministry of Defence, The Guardian reports.

A Ukrainian soldier in a trench near Horlivka, Donetsk regionPhoto: Anatoly Stepanov / AFP / Profimedia

How war can affect rodents

The Ministry of Defense says rodent populations have increased due to cooler temperatures in recent months and food from battlefields. In addition, rats can gnaw the cables of military equipment and cause disease, while Russian soldiers are already reporting illnesses allegedly caused by rodents.

  • “This year’s mild autumn, as well as abundant food from the fields left after the hostilities, probably contributed to the increase in the rodent population.
  • As the weather turns colder, animals may seek shelter in vehicles and defensive positions. Rodents will put additional pressure on the morale of front-line fighters.
  • They also pose a danger to military equipment by gnawing through cables – as was recorded in the same area during World War II.
  • Unverified reports also indicate that Russian units are beginning to suffer from an increase in cases of disease, which the troops attribute to a pest problem,” the British Ministry of Defense said in an assessment.

The Ukrainian army has decided to barricade itself in the trenches in the face of a long and difficult winter in order to stop the current Russian offensive on all fronts and not to lose more territory, especially in the Donetsk region, the EFE news agency reported on Thursday. .

“Departments of the State Special Transport Service are erecting fortifications in designated areas,” the General Staff of Ukraine reported, without providing details.

So far, Ukraine has not chosen such a defensive tactic, as it expected that its troops would be able to liberate large parts of the territory occupied by Russia in the counteroffensive launched on June 4, but for now, the Ukrainian counteroffensive seems to be completely blocked.

Thus, the recent Russian advance near Avdiivka, as well as around other towns such as Kupyansk, Bakhmut and Marinka, is also further evidence that Russia has firmly taken the initiative over much of the battlefield, after last recognized the Ukrainian General Valery Zaluzhnyi. month, when the counteroffensive launched in June stalled, for some reason President Volodymyr Zelenskyi denied it.