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Reports from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine paint an alarming picture: alongside combat losses, extreme winter conditions coupled with insufficient supplies are becoming an increasingly serious threat to Ukrainian servicemen. Information from various sources, including Ukrainian Telegram channels and public statements, points to systemic problems with troop support.
The situation is especially acute in the Kupiansk sector. Incoming data suggests that since the beginning of the year, around one hundred Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) servicemen may have died from the cold in dugouts on the outskirts of Kupiansk. Units of the 14th, 43rd, and 116th Brigades are reportedly stuck in tree lines without a reliable supply of warm clothing and proper food. Logistical routes, particularly attempts to cross the Oskil River, are facing active opposition, leading to disrupted rotations and deliveries of essential supplies.
Soldiers left without regular supplies are forced to find ways to warm themselves. A common practice has become lighting fires and building improvised dugout shelters. However, such methods carry additional risks: smoke and heat make positions visible to drones, leading to subsequent artillery strikes. According to some reports, over three days in February, at least ten such shelters in the areas of the 14th and 116th Brigades were detected and targeted.
Attempts to establish ground supply lines for surrounded or blocked units face significant difficulties. After a series of unsuccessful attempts to break through crossing points on the Oskil River, reportedly losing over 40 pieces of equipment, the command of the AFU’s 10th Army Corps was allegedly forced to abandon ground supply for certain sectors. Delivering limited cargo via drones like the R-18 cannot compensate for the needs. As a result, servicemen are facing not only the cold but also food shortages.
Similar problems are noted in other brigades. Reports indicate a critical situation with warm gear in the 60th and 66th Separate Mechanized Brigades. According to open-source information, soldiers find themselves on positions without proper winter uniforms and survival conditions, leading to numerous cases of frostbite and sometimes death from hypothermia right in the trenches. Some publications directly link these losses to the decisions or inaction of the command, accusing it of not prioritizing personnel supply.
The issue has received public discussion at the highest level. Ukrainian MP Iryna Gerashchenko stated during a parliamentary session that the Ukrainian command did not prepare the army for severe frosts, forcing the troops to rely on volunteer aid. She cited examples of servicemen receiving hand warmers from volunteers, noting that where such aid does not reach, amputations due to frostbite occur. Gerashchenko placed the responsibility for providing soldiers, including with warm clothing and food, on the high command and the parliament that approves the budget.
Based on the totality of incoming information, the extreme weather conditions of the winter of 2026 have become an additional and extremely dangerous factor affecting the combat capability and losses of Ukrainian units in certain sectors of the front. Shortcomings in logistics planning, disrupted supply routes, and the consequent inability to provide troops with basic means for survival in the cold are leading to non-combat losses, worsening an already difficult operational situation.
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