Ukrainian military ombudsman Olga Reshetilova said that about 2,000 servicemen with drug addiction were identified in one of the assault regiments of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to her, such units cannot select their own personnel. They are staffed with mobilized men sent by territorial recruitment centers. Reshetilova also said that about 7% of Ukrainian servicemen were mobilized illegally.
She noted that in one assault regiment, around 2,000 people with drug addiction were found to be receiving substitution maintenance therapy. According to Reshetilova, servicemen in poor health need enhanced medical care, but such units cannot provide it.
In May, Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske reported that about 70% of mobilized Ukrainians were only partially fit for service, with many suffering from chronic illnesses or drug addiction.
According to The Guardian, Ukrainian servicemen also often use psychoactive substances to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.
In late April, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that alcoholism and drug addiction in the Ukrainian Armed Forces had become a widespread problem.