Russland schickt Alkoholiker aus der Reha an die Front

***The Telegraph reports:***

Russia is sending [alcoholics](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/russia/articles/russians-drink-so-much-alcohol/) from rehabilitation centres to [the front line in Ukraine](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/russia-ukraine-war/), a soldier claimed.

An unnamed Russian serviceman described a stream of new arrivals to his unit – many of them older, physically unfit and [struggling with alcohol dependency](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2024/12/01/why-russia-long-war-ukraine-driving-citizens-drink/) – in recent video footage.

He claimed that the men were rounded up at a facility in Petrozavodsk, close to the border with Finland, by “black recruiters” who confiscated their bank cards and drained their accounts of money.

In an expletive-laden and offensive rant, he said of his newly staffed unit: “They f—ing recruited a bunch of cripples who can’t even f—ing walk on top of being mentally unwell.

“I saw it myself – from Petrozavodsk, from Karelia, they recruited these f—ing guys from rehab, f—ing drunks.”

The soldier said there were around 30 unfit soldiers in his unit of 40.

The “black recruiters” refer to informal or illegal intermediaries who sign up men for military service through coercion, deception, or outright fraud, often operating alongside or in the shadows of the official recruitment system.

The soldier’s claims are the latest in a series of accusations that [Russia](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/russia) has relied on coercion and manipulation to recruit soldiers physically or mentally unfit for combat.

These claims encompass men with serious illnesses, mental disabilities, and [foreign recruits who were allegedly pressured or deceived](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/terror-and-security/putin-targets-migrant-smuggling-networks-to-boost-his-ranks/) into joining the ranks.

**Read more:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/26/russia-sending-alcoholics-rehab-centres-ukraine-front-line/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_rehab-centres-ukraine-front-line/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/03/26/russia-sending-alcoholics-rehab-centres-ukraine-front-line/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_rehab-centres-ukraine-front-line/)