There's a culture of heavy drinking in Russian society, and it's affected their military's performance over generations, according to a scholar at Villanova University. UK intelligence indicates the problem persists in Ukraine:
"Mark Lawrence Schrad, director of Russian Area Studies at Villanova University and author of Vodka Politics: Alcohol, Autocracy, and the Secret History of the Russian State, wrote in 2014 that drunkenness plagued the Russian army under Tsar Nicholas I, from the lowly rank and file soldiers to the high command military leaders, as they stumbled their way through battles, only to lose 100,000 soldiers and the war itself.
Schrad, in the book, details instances of befuddled Russian armies left to fight without commanders, hospitals drenched in the scent of vodka, and soldiers complaining after being deprived of their vodka rations." (our emphasis)
According to Schrad's research, Russian military drunkenness adversely affected their performance against the Japanese in the Russo-Japanese war and beyond:
"Schrad cites a St. Petersburg newspaper writing, 'the Japanese found several thousand Russian soldiers so dead drunk that they were able to bayonet them like so many pigs.' [snip]
During World War I, the Tsar instituted Prohibition that lasted until Joseph Stalin took power, but Schrad writes of riots over conscription and looting of liquor stores, warehouses, and distilleries.
Drinking and military history have always been entwined — the practice fueled by myths that drinking would grant soldiers courage — but Schrad argues that Russia has a particularly unique history with drinking that follows many through lines..." (our emphasis)
UK military intelligence reported last month that alcoholism among Russian forces occupying Ukraine is a significant problem for them:
"A recent UK defense ministry intelligence update reported that many Russian troops are dying in Ukraine due to non-combat issues such as alcohol consumption, among other things. The death toll among Russian troops is now two times that of their opponents, estimates from leaked US intelligence documents reveal."
The problem also was reported last summer as Russia's invasion stalled. We can only toast to the deadly drinking habits of Russian troops as they face committed and effective Ukrainian forces.
BONUS: Putin's making it harder for Russians to escape mobilization. Vodka sales should soar!
(photo: Liquid courage/ Twitter)
