Military analysts have raised alarms about Russia deploying soldiers afflicted with HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases to the frontlines in a bid to secure victory. This concerning development highlights a desperate approach within the Russian ranks.

Troops with red armbands, symbolizing their medical ailments, have been observed around the strategically significant town of Pokrovsk, in eastern Ukraine. Under President Vladimir Putin’s orders, this area has faced intense assaults, showcasing the deteriorating condition of his forces.

The appearance of these marked soldiers has led experts to suggest that the health status of Putin’s military is in decline. The incidences of diseases like HIV, hepatitis, and tuberculosis are reportedly rising, as discussed in a recent article by The Telegraph.

All of these conditions can pose incredible risk in the context of war, not just to Russia’s own troops – but also to Ukrainian soldiers. 

Hepatitis, notorious for causing potentially deadly liver inflammation, can be transmitted through interaction with infected blood, either via open wounds or contact with cadavers and contaminated weapons.

HIV can be transmitted in a similar way, with the virus surviving in blood and bodily fluids for hours after someone has died. 

Russian forces labeled as ‘infected units’ are reportedly within the 1,435th and 1,437th motorized rifle regiments, components of the 27th and 15th motorized rifle brigades.

A report published in July by the Carnegie Centre described ‘an explosion’ in HIV rates among Russian soldiers.

Analysts said there were 20 times more cases detected within military personnel at the end of 2023 than at the start of the war.

As for why HIV is skyrocketing, experts believe the virus is spreading among troops because of an increase in blood transfusions and the reuse of the same syringe in field hospitals.

But this is not the only cause. 

The report authors state: ‘The two more traditional transmission channels—unprotected sexual contact (including with sex workers) and sharing needles to inject drugs—have not disappeared. 

‘On the contrary: according to independent journalists, both are thriving in a fighting army of men who live every day as if it were their last and are earning decent money.’

Analysts say the formation of such units also shows Russia is becoming increasingly reliant on conscripts that would not have been deemed ‘fit’ to serve previously – but also a relentlessness to win at any cost. 

Dmytro Zhmailo, executive director of the think tank, Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Centre (USCC), told The Telegraph: ‘The presence of sick Russians on the battlefield can exert a certain moral and psychological pressure due to close contact with such an enemy, and also forces the Ukrainian military to be more cautious and take care of their health and safety.’

Meanwhile former British Army colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, said the move showed just how desperate Putin has become to capture Pokrovsk. 

Ukraine’s military is reliant on a key road close to the town to supply other outposts along the eastern frontier, including Chasiv Yar and Kostiantynivka, while Pokrovsk is also home to the country’s only plant producing coking coal for the steel industry.

Mr de Bretton-Gordon said: ‘I think he’s always believed that, if he can just outlast Ukraine and its allies, he’ll ultimately prevail.

‘Throwing people into the meat grinder is part of that strategy, and Pokrovsk is the meat grinder.’

The latest revelation comes as the head of MI6 warned that Vladimir Putin is just ‘stringing us along’ and has no interest in seeking peace in Ukraine.

Sir Richard Moore blasted the ‘lying’ Russian President, saying he will never end the war while China continues to supply Russia’s arms industry.

The head of the Secret Intelligence Service blamed China for the continuing bloodshed, saying Beijing’s diplomatic backing and the crucial supply of weapon components and chemicals had ‘prevented Putin from reaching the conclusion that peace is his best option.’

In his final speech before he steps down from the role next week, the spymaster delivered a scathing assessment of the Russian leader predicting that he may face ‘an economic and political crisis that threatens his own rule’ if he does not make a ‘sensible deal’.

‘I have seen absolutely no evidence that President Putin has any interest in a negotiated peace short of Ukrainian capitulation. He is stringing us along,’ Sir Richard said.

‘He seeks to impose his imperial will by all means at his disposal. But he cannot succeed. 

‘Bluntly, Putin has bitten off more than he can chew. He thought he was going to win an easy victory. But he – and many others – underestimated the Ukrainians.’ 

In a speech in Istanbul, Sir Richard suggested Putin was deluded and self-obsessed, only caring about his own legacy and not the million Russian casualties that had been ‘fed into the meat grinder’.

‘Every sane person wants the killing to stop’, he said.