‘Drug use among ‘bored’ Russian soldiers is rife, with troops in the trenches smoking ‘salt’ narcotic that induces paranoia and hallucinations – and washing it down with vodka’

Drug use among ‘bored’ Russian soldiers is said to be widespread, with troops in the trenches smoking the ‘salty’ narcotic that causes paranoia and hallucinations, Russian media said.

After holding talks with dozens of soldiers, drug users and residents of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the independent Russian newspaper said Vermi reported that narcotics were easily available to soldiers in the trenches.

“They use drugs out of boredom,” one soldier claimed, adding that boredom while waiting for something to happen was “much worse” than worrying about drug side effects.

He said, “War is when you are constantly waiting for something and occasionally praying for it to all be over. When I smoked salt in the dugout, I didn’t care about a possible panic attack (attack of paranoia). The boredom is even worse.’

According to Verstka, one in ten soldiers smoke marijuana, with many also using hard drugs such as ‘salt’ – a synthetic drug called alpha-PVP -, with one soldier describing smoking the lid of a jar with a ballpoint pen and washing it down with vodka. .

“They use drugs out of boredom,” one soldier claimed, adding that boredom while waiting for something to happen was “much worse” than worrying about drug side effects (file image of a Russian soldier in occupied Mariupol)

“It’s just like Las Vegas,” said another soldier. He claimed that a Russian soldier brought him a gram of salt straight to the trenches.

The troops, who regularly use drugs to escape boredom, said the close proximity of each other in the trenches means fellow troops know who is using drugs.

But higher ups would turn a blind eye, as long as the drug users ‘don’t bother anyone’ and don’t leave the dugout to grab something or smoke.

Soldiers confirmed to investigators that it was easy to obtain drugs in the occupied territories and on the front lines.

Drug paraphernalia is often found in Russian trenches as drug couriers bring the substances and equipment – ​​mainly ‘gunpowder’ (amphetamine), ‘pine cones’ (marijuana) and salt – to the front lines.

The fabrics are supplied by locals or by unwitting volunteers who bring the soldiers’ equipment. Some are even taken to the front lines by the men themselves, who endure the lax checks.

Russian soldiers can earn up to 200,000 rubles ($1,700) a month, four times the average salary in the country, and some spend their war-earned money ordering from dealers via the messaging app Telegram.

A popular order is salt, which can cause paranoia and hallucinations, and can lead to aggressive behavior or self-harm.

Prices for the various drugs are high due to the risky delivery route, with three syringes of a substance costing 15,000 rubles (£125), according to a soldier who spoke to Verstka.

Some Russian soldiers said they saw or heard of no drug users in the trenches, but admitted they drank heavily at the front. “Whether they attack high – f*** knows,” the soldier said (photo: file image of Russian soldiers in Mariupol)

Another man who spoke to Verstka, Vadim, lives in occupied Mariupol. He said the price of medicines in the occupied territory is double that in Moscow.

He said he had seen Russian soldiers high several times: “I could tell they were not in their right minds.”

Soldiers’ high salaries also attract drug users who hope to finance their addiction with army wages, Private Kirill has revealed.

He said he had a 27-year-old comrade who had signed up, but he didn’t know “how he got past the medical commission in the Moscow region.”

While on a military assignment, this friend began shaking and sweating excessively, which was later diagnosed as an overdose.

The drug culture among Russian soldiers appears to be becoming increasingly common, as evidenced by a video circulating on Telegram in August showing uniformed soldiers smoking marijuana through a can.

The caption for the video said it was “not surprising that conscripts, who are thrown under fire as cannon fodder after orders from the military leadership, have to suppress the memories of the horrors of war with the help of alcohol and drugs,” the report said. Newsweek.

But Vadim told Verstka that he was also aware of Ukrainian soldiers using drugs in Mariupol before the city was occupied by Russia.

Some Russian soldiers said they saw or heard no drug users in the trenches, but admitted they drank heavily at the front. “Whether they go high, you know,” the soldier said.

He reiterated that the biggest problem on the front lines was boredom, saying he had only fired his gun twice since March last year.