“A hidden epidemic.” A serious phenomenon kept in silence in Moscow so far spreads in the Russian army on the Ukrainian front

More and more chronic diseases are currently fighting in the Russian army on the Ukraine front. Many of them suffer from diseases that endanger their lives, such as HIV and hepatitis, and are divided into separate units, where they have to wear banners that indicate their health problem, writes the Danish TV2 television website, which cites the Russian independent press.

The Russian press has only now begun to talk about the chronic diseases faced by the soldiers on the Ukrainian front, warning about “a hidden epidemic”. But infectious diseases have long threaten the fighting capacity of the Russian army, according to several Russian independent publications, including Novaia Gazeta and Verstka.

In order to provide lucrative bonuses from contracts with the state, Russian soldiers often hide their affections, which has led to an explosion of infections in trenches. At the same time, according to information, Russian campaign hospitals are facing a lack of equipment, from basic drugs to sterile syringes.

According to Russian military correspondence Anastasia Kașerova, the Moscow army copied the idea of ​​dividing sick soldiers into separate units from the Wagner group, the mercenary army of Evgheni Prigojin, now abolished.

Kașavarova, known for her controversial and favorable posts on Putin on Telegram, states that Russian soldiers with serious diseases, such as HIV, cancer, hepatitis and tuberculosis, have already been divided into separate units, reports Novaia Gazeta.

She also says that some of the chronic disease soldiers were enrolled in the army with the help of counterfeit medical files, which they used to qualify for the contractual bonuses. Other soldiers were diagnosed after mobilization.

Have to wear banners

Novaia Gazeta, the Russian independent publication, writes that the Russian army has issued at least one order to form a unit made up of soldiers considered for the so-called “limited service”.

In addition to wearing banners indicating the health of the soldiers, they must occupy “defensive positions”.

In his posts, Kașerova warns of the increased risk of an epidemic that involves what it calls “socially dangerous” diseases.

It adds, according to Novaia Gazeta, that diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and tuberculosis are spread and are prevalent among Russian soldiers on the front line.

At the same time, Kașavarova warns that diseases could spread from soldiers to the rest of the Russian population when they visit their relatives.

“If this image is correct, it emphasizes the problems that Russia has in maintaining its army in a state of fighting,” the TV correspondent, Rasmus Tantholdt, noted.

He said that when diseases such as hepatitis and HIV are so widespread that the soldiers must be divided according to the health, this is a sign of a pressure army.

The fact that the soldiers falsify the documents at the same time shows how economically attractive is for many Russian men to enlist in the army.

The problem of enrollment

The problem of increasing number of soldiers with chronic diseases in the Russian army comes at a time when the Russian Ministry of Defense seems to face problems in attracting volunteer soldiers with contractual bonuses.

In the second quarter of 2025, the Ministry of Defense has paid contractual bonuses only for 37,900 new soldiers – the lowest level in the last two years, according to the budgetary data analyzed by the IMPORTANT SPRESS, according to the Institute for War Study (ISW).

For comparison, 92,800 contracts were signed in the same quarter of 2024.

The contractual bonuses are unique payments of up to several hundred thousand rubles that Russia offers new soldiers to attract on the Ukraine front.

According to ISW, the Kremlin has already exceeded the budget for this year and now has to finance recruitment through regional budgets and alternative schemes. ISW estimates that more and more serious economic problems could weaken Russia's ability to maintain its military force in Ukraine.

At least 130,000 Russians are confirmed dead

The new recruits are necessary, under the living losses on the front.

New figures analyzed by the Russian independent publication Mediazona and BBC Russian show that at least 130,150 Russian soldiers died during the Ukraine war.

The figure of the victims covers the period between February 24, 2022, when Russia began the large -scale invasion of the neighboring country, and September 11, 2025.

The list of Russia's military victims is based on public and verifiable sources.

These include posts on the social networks of relatives, reports in the local press and statements of the regional authorities.

However, these are only the deaths verified. Mediazone stresses that the list is not exhaustive, because not all deaths are published.

The exact number of victims on both sides in the war is not known publicly, because neither Russia nor Ukraine publishes the figures on victims.