Ukraine Dismisses Commanders After Scandal Over Malnourished Soldiers Near Kupyansk

Ukraine's military dismissed the commanders of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 10th Army Corps on April 25, 2026, after photographs circulated on social media showing soldiers emaciated from roughly 80-90 kilograms down to approximately 50 kilograms following months without adequate food or water at a bridgehead on the left bank of the Oskil River near Kupiansk. The Ukrainian General Staff acknowledged command errors and the deliberate concealment of conditions on the ground by the officers responsible. The scandal broke after relatives of the affected soldiers posted the images publicly, forcing the military leadership to act. According to the General Staff, the situation at the exposed bridgehead had deteriorated over a prolonged period due to a combination of extreme logistical difficulty and inaccurate reporting up the chain of command. The leadership described the episode as a "serious command failure" and stated that the problems did not arise suddenly but were the result of long-lasting structural deficits.

Soldiers drank rainwater for up to 17 days without food Anastasiia Silchuk, the wife of one of the soldiers, published the photographs on social media on April 23, 2026, and her account of conditions at the position drew immediate public attention across Ukraine. She wrote that the men had spent eight months defending a shrinking strip of territory on the left bank of the Oskil River, in an area where food and medicine could only be delivered by drone. „The longest they went without food was 17 days. They weren't listened to on the radio, or perhaps no one wanted to listen to them. My husband shouted and begged, saying there was no food and water.” — Anastasiia Silchuk via Irish Examiner Ivanna Poberezhniuk, the daughter of a former serviceman from the same brigade, also posted warnings on social media, writing that fighters were losing consciousness from hunger and that command was not responding. Her father had been evacuated from the position, but others remained stranded there, she said. A spokesperson for the brigade confirmed to media that all resupply had to be conducted by air because the position was located extremely close to enemy lines. „Everything is done by drones. The Russians pay maximum attention to the deliveries of food, ammunition and fuel. They intercept and shoot down as much as possible. Sometimes they are not so interested in our military equipment as in logistics, actually.” — Brigade spokesperson via Irish Examiner

17 (days) — longest reported period soldiers went without food

Soldier weight loss at Oskil bridgehead: Body weight on arrival (before: 80–90 kg, after: ~50 kg after months at position)

Russian drone attacks severed supply lines across the Oskil The General Staff stated that continuous Russian shelling and drone attacks targeting crossings on the Oskil River had significantly hampered logistical support to units near Kupiansk, forcing supplies to be delivered by boat or drone. According to the Irish Examiner, Russia had destroyed bridges across the Oskil River in an attempt to cut off Ukrainian forces on the left bank, compelling soldiers to walk between 10 and 15 kilometers to reach their forward positions. The General Staff noted that enemy forces paid particular attention to intercepting supply deliveries, targeting food, fuel, and ammunition rather than military equipment. According to ABC, sources from the Ukrainian outlet Ukrainska Pravda suggested that the replacement of the commanders had in fact been decided before the photographs were published and only became public on April 25. The General Staff nonetheless acknowledged in its official statement that the former commander of the 14th Brigade had concealed the real situation, causing a considerable loss of time in addressing the crisis. The Fanpage report identified the dismissed brigade commander as Anatolii Lysetskyi and the dismissed corps commander as Serhii Perts, who was also demoted in rank.

New commander contacts troops, promises rotation and recovery Colonel Taras Maksymov was appointed as the new commander of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade and made immediate contact with the soldiers via video call after taking command. The soldiers confirmed to him that food had been received but told him they needed time to recover physically, as their stomachs had shrunk after the prolonged deprivation. Silchuk reported on April 25 that conditions had already improved since the issue became public. „There is a new commander. He called us and said the situation is being resolved. And it is true. My husband wrote to me that he has just eaten more than he has eaten in the last eight months.” — Anastasiia Silchuk via AGI Maksymov held out the prospect of a rotation for the soldiers as soon as the tactical situation and weather conditions allowed, and the General Staff announced a possible evacuation. According to ABC, Silchuk added that the soldiers were eating only in small amounts because their stomachs had contracted, and that they remained uncertain whether food would arrive the following day. The Ukrainian Land Forces opened a formal investigation into the incident, with results to be handed over to law enforcement agencies, and Artem Bohomolov was named as the replacement for the dismissed 10th Army Corps commander Serhii Perts, according to Fanpage.

The Kupiansk sector in Kharkiv Oblast has been one of the most contested stretches of the front since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Russian forces captured Kupiansk early in the invasion and Ukrainian forces recaptured it in September 2022 during the Kharkiv counteroffensive. Since then, Russian forces have repeatedly pressed toward the city, destroying river crossings on the Oskil to isolate Ukrainian units holding positions on the eastern bank. The widespread use of drones by both sides has transformed frontline logistics across the entire contact line, forcing Ukrainian units in exposed positions to rely increasingly on unmanned aerial and ground systems for resupply and casualty evacuation.

Oskil River