Ukrainian Intelligence Reports Alleged Cannibalism Among Russian Soldiers in Ukraine

Ukrainian military intelligence stated that Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine have engaged in cannibalism amid low food supplies in winter months. The reports include photographs and around a dozen intercepted audio transmissions from Telegram between senior Russian army officers.

Russia has rejected these allegations, with its Embassy in London describing them as fabrications produced by Ukrainian military intelligence. The intelligence sources reported at least five separate instances where Russian infantrymen allegedly ate their comrades.

These incidents reportedly occurred during deep winter when supply chains faced disruptions. The Sunday Times reported on the claims, noting questions about the mental health of those involved.

One case involves a soldier with the call sign Khromoy, who was reportedly caught after killing two fellow soldiers near Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region in November 2025. A Telegram conversation described Khromoy being found in a basement having cut off a victim's leg and appearing to attempt to eat it.

Analyzed images from the conversation were reviewed using AI detection software, which concluded they were not artificially generated or altered. An independent conflict surgeon who reviewed the photographs stated the injuries were inconsistent with blast or fragment wounds and appeared to have been made with a sharp knife.

In the conversation, a commander asked if troops were being properly fed, and an officer replied that soldiers were skinny and might soon start eating each other. Two other Telegram conversations described separate incidents. In one, a soldier complained about sharing a dugout with a comrade alleged to have eaten a corpse, citing his Muslim faith as a reason for objection.