Ukrainian intelligence reports several possible cases of cannibalism among Russian military personnel in eastern Ukraine, which may have occurred due to a lack of food during the winter. This was reported by The Sunday Times on April 25.
A British newspaper writes that several Russian soldiers fighting in eastern Ukraine have been accused of cannibalism after they had food problems during the winter. Ukrainian intelligence provided the publication with photographs and allegedly intercepted audio recordings of approximately 10 conversations between Russian officers to support its claims.
One Ukrainian intelligence source said they had evidence of at least five cases in which Russian infantrymen apparently ate their dead comrades. At the same time, The Sunday Times notes that it cannot independently confirm the accuracy of these materials. Russia, as the publication writes, rejects such accusations and calls them “fiction.”
Describing one of the cases, the newspaper reports that the incident allegedly occurred in November 2025 near Mirnograd in the Donetsk region. According to intelligence, a soldier of the 95th Regiment of the 5th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade with the call sign Khromoy killed two military men and tried to eat the leg of one of them. The above correspondence from the Russian military also mentions his use of a meat grinder. Khromy was subsequently discovered by his colleagues – he opened fire on them and was eliminated.
In a conversation on Telegram, an unnamed officer reported this incident to Lieutenant Vladislav Abdulkhalikovich Razikov, deputy commander of the reconnaissance battalion of the 5th brigade.
The Sunday Times notes that an analysis of the resulting images of the deceased Russian soldier using specialized software did not reveal any signs of editing or the use of artificial intelligence. At the same time, an independent surgeon quoted by the publication said that the nature of the injuries to his leg was not similar to combat injuries.
He noted that the wound looked like it had been “cut with a sharp knife.”
The newspaper also reports other intercepted conversations that mention such incidents. In particular, a military man with the call sign Most, as the media writes, refused to be in a dugout with a soldier who “ate human flesh.”
Another case, as the publication notes, was recorded in October 2025: the commander of a unit of the 1437th motorized rifle regiment accused a subordinate of cannibalism, cursed him and ordered: “Stop eating people.” The material also contains messages where the command directly prohibits cannibalism, as well as alcohol and drugs.
According to information cited in the article, the Russian military has repeatedly complained about food shortages, expired rations, or lack of supplies for a long time.
The material also provides analyst estimates. In particular, it is noted that there is a possibility of problems with logistics in the Russian army, especially given the scale of the group. According to the publication, by the end of 2025 the number of Russian forces in Ukraine had increased to approximately 710 thousand people.
American military analyst Vikram Mittal notes that increasing the number of infantry requires a corresponding increase in supply volumes, which has proven difficult during a particularly harsh winter. In addition, the article states that Ukrainian forces regularly attack Russian supply lines, making it difficult to deliver resources to the front.
