Russian Troops May Be Resorting To ‘Stagnant Puddles’ As Their Water Supplies Run Short, UK Says

The UK believes Russian troops in Ukraine may now be resorting to “stagnant puddles” for their daily water needs, the latest update from the British ministry of defence claims.

According to reports dating back to the end of July – before Ukrainian forces broke through the Russian border in a humiliating offensive for the Kremlin – a pro-Russian military blogger said water rations for the army’s pilots was now “restricted to one litre per day”.

The MoD explained: “This is equivalent to a quarter of minimum recommended water requirements for woking in high temperatures.”

This, the UK department believes, may be due to ongoing Russian strikes against Ukrainian utilities infrastructure which are “now almost certainly curtailing water supply” for the troops themselves.

The region has also been experiencing a period of “above average” temperatures, too, making it much harder for those in the area.

“As a result, Russian pilots have reportedly approached local citizens for water,” the intelligence suggested.

The blogger who first posted about water supplies on July 23 reportedly “appealed to Russian water producing companies to supply Russian military bases with additional water in Rostov, Voronezh and Crimean air bases.”

The MoD added that some Russian military units “have been forced to improvise filtration attempts, using stagnant puddles for daily water requirements.”

“This has highly likely led to an increase of waterborne diseases amongst Russian soldiers,” the UK department said.

The MoD noted this leads to dehydration and increased risk of infection too, which “will certainly impact morale and operational effectiveness”.

This additional blow to morale comes as Moscow is still struggling to remove Ukrainian troops from its land, after the Kyiv military occupied 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) within the Kursk region over the last week.