The frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war have become a breeding ground for rats and mice as gory diseases among soldiers spread.
The rodent infestation and health conditions it has created has been likened to the harsh conditions experienced during World War I trench warfare.
A Ukrainian servicewoman called “Kira”, known by her call-sign, shared a firsthand account of her battalion’s struggle in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, referring to it as a “mouse epidemic.”
She told CNN: “Imagine going to bed, and the night begins with a mouse crawling into your pants or sweater, or chewing your fingertips, or biting your hand. You get two or three hours’ sleep, depending on how lucky you are.”
She estimated that around 1,000 mice infested her four-person dugout, emphasising, “it was not the mice who were visiting us; we were their guests.”
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The infestations, linked to seasonal changes and the mice’s mating cycle, highlight the static nature of the conflict after Ukraine’s counteroffensive met resistance from heavily fortified Russian defenses.
As winter sets in, the nearly 1,000-kilometre frontline becomes a breeding ground for mice searching for food and warmth, exacerbating the spread of disease and discontent among soldiers.
In the face of the rodent epidemic, Kira detailed various attempts to eliminate the infestation: “We had a cat named Busia, and at first, she also helped and ate mice. But later, there were so many of them that she refused. A cat can catch one or two mice, but if there are 70 of them, it’s unrealistic.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence reported an outbreak of “mouse fever” in Russian units around Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region, allegedly transmitted through inhaling mouse feces dust or ingesting contaminated food.
Ukrainian soldiers spoke of the gory symptoms, including fevers, rashes, low blood pressure, eye hemorrhages, vomiting, severe back pain, and urinary problems.
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Kira attested to the impact of “mouse fever” on Russian soldiers: “The losses from the mice in our dugout alone amount to one million hryvnia [£21,000].”
Ihor Zahorodniuk, a researcher at Ukraine’s National Museum of National History, claimed the mice infestations are not only due to seasonal factors but are exacerbated by the war’s impact on the environment.
He also explained to the outlet: “The winter crops sown in the fall of 2021 were not harvested in many places in 2022 and gave generous self-seeding. The mice that bred on it survived the very warm winter and went on to harvest a new crop.”
As Ukraine currently experiences another challenging winter, the rodent problem is expected to worsen. Zahorodniuk stressed the need for organized efforts to combat the infestation, warning against a repeat of history.
He concluded: “The fight against them should be organised and not rely on soldiers and volunteers who are not imagining ways to fight. This is wrong. After all, this is a matter of the combat capability of the army. We have to take care of our soldiers.”
