Since the beginning of the war, the Russian military command has deployed around 700,000 soldiers on Ukrainian territory. The invasion has not only brought great instability to the region, but it has also fuelled criminal activities on and around the frontlines, with unique implications for drug use.
Although there is some information on the rise of alcohol use both on the frontlines and within Russian society due to the war, much less is known about drug use. The indicators that are available highlight the extent of the issue: 2023 statistics from the Russian Supreme Court show that the number of military personnel convicted of drug-related offences increased by 50% compared to 2022. The UK Ministry of Defence recently reported that up to 15% of Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine were known to use drugs.
In a nation where drugs remain highly criminalised, these statistics highlight a deeper discontent with the state of the war, as well as increased problematic use and criminality around the frontline drug industry.
Fear, stress, and idleness
With the frontline mostly defined by slow and gruelling trench warfare – with long moments of boredom punctuated by frenetic action, all in degraded living conditions – more and more soldiers are turning to drugs for comfort, distraction, and escape.
“About one in ten soldiers use cannabis,” Verstka, an independent Russian news outlet, reported, based on interviews with anonymous soldiers. Soldiers commented that many used drugs to stave off boredom, stating that “boredom is much worse” than having a bad drug experience from, for example, smoking synthetic cathinones like alpha-PVP or mephedrone.
For many soldiers, the lack of action in wartime means that minutes turn into hours, and hours into days. Drugs become a reliable means of escapism to deal with the slow pace of a war that has lasted for almost three years.
According to soldiers, cannabis use was particularly common: “if you use drugs in a trench, of course… no one gives a [shit], the main thing is not to disturb anyone. Just don’t leave the dugout.”
A significant factor exacerbating boredom and distraction-seeking in the Russian army is the lack of a proper rotation system. Soldiers have the right to be rotated every six months; in practice, however, this doesn’t happen. “The law does not provide for specific dates for the rotation of the mobilised”, President Putin said in June 2023.
Traumatic experiences, the death of fellow fighters and the constant stress of war have been studied as causes for increased drug use.
Another factor is high wages: Russian soldiers will often earn almost four times more than the average salary of those living in combat zones. The lack of rotation off the frontlines means that there are few opportunities to spend these earnings on other, more sanctioned, activities.
With drug production increasingly happening at or near the frontlines, with many suppliers offering direct delivery services, supply can quickly meet and feed demand. Cannabis, amphetamines and cathinones like mephedrone and alpha-PVP were most commonly used.
Drugs brought to the frontlines
The need for soldiers, alongside increasingly lax mobilisation efforts, has meant that more and more drugs are coming in with new recruits. Some of these recruits include people with substance use issues or prisoners released early to join the war effort.
Multiple sources have confirmed that, as a result of the Russian military relaxing medical examination processes, more and more people who were previously in – or required – drug treatment are being sent to the frontlines. They not only bring substances with them, but also become perfect clients for drug suppliers. While some of them are marginalised by other soldiers for their drug use, many are left to their vices.
Verstka highlighted that residents near the frontlines would drive soldiers to local towns to buy drugs sold by other residents; some charged an extra danger fee when delivering to the trenches. Drugs are not only delivered by specialised sellers or locals, but also through military volunteers, who supply frontlines with essential items like medical kits, personal hygiene items and warm clothes. Their status means they are less rigorously searched at checkpoints, enabling the express delivery of drugs with few obstacles.
An additional edict, the Federal Law No. 640, has enabled military units and other military structures to store, transport, dispense, and use narcotic and psychotropic substances for medical purposes without a licence. This relaxation of regulation creates opportunities for certain officers to divert medical substances like tropicamide (a medical drug used to cause hallucinations) and pregabalin (an anxiolytic commercially sold as Lyrica) for some extra funds.
In April of this year, 65kg of tropicamide and pregabalin were found to have “disappeared” from pharmacies in Krasnodar. A deeper investigation unveiled that a local pharmacy chain was selling prescription drugs to consumers, bribing the heads of Krasnodar’s drug enforcement agency in return for their silence, advanced warnings of incoming inspections, and to return seized drugs after inspections.
