Ukrainian soldiers near Kupjansk suffered severe food shortages, with some going 17 days without food, surviving on rainwater and melted snow, according to Anastasija Siltjuk, wife of one of the soldiers. Supplies of food and medicine could only be delivered by drone, but deliveries suddenly stopped, and the soldiers felt ignored on the radio, Siltjuk said. Siltjuk posted photos of emaciated soldiers on Facebook, showing dramatic weight loss from 80-90 kg to about 50 kg. The soldiers drank rainwater and melted snow to survive, and the longest period without food was 17 days, she added.
Ukraine's defense ministry responded to the criticism and said the commander responsible for supplying the soldiers has been reassigned. The brigade acknowledged logistical problems in getting food to the soldiers, who are near Russian positions. After Siltjuk's post, conditions improved; a new commander called and said the situation is being resolved. The soldier, her husband, wrote that he just ate more than he has in the last eight months, Siltjuk said. Ukraine's military leadership has launched an investigation into the incident.
In a broader context, South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) reported that North Korea transferred roughly 1,500 North Korean special forces to eastern Russia for training before deploying to fight in Ukraine. Ukraine's Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Head Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov stated that nearly 11,000 North Korean infantry troops are training in eastern Russia and will be ready to fight by November 1, 2024. Russia's economy shows signs of strain, with stagnating GDP growth and limited foreign investment, spending roughly half its budget on the armed forces, military-industrial complex, domestic security, and debt servicing, according to research.
Russia is advancing at historically slow rates, with an average pace of about 70 meters per day from Avdiivka to Pokrovsk from February 2024 to January 2026, according to research. Russian forces gained 4,168 square kilometers of Ukrainian land in 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii stated that 427,000 Russian soldiers died or were injured in 2024. According to Mediazona, at least 31,481 Russian soldiers are confirmed to have died between January 1, 2024, and December 17, 2024.
Battle intensity increased 63% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to ACLED. Russia seized Avdiivka in February 2024 after a four-month siege, and also gained Selydove, Vuhledar, and Kurakhove in 2024, according to ISW. Russia has contracted around 30,000 soldiers a month and recommissioned thousands of armored vehicles from Soviet stocks, according to research. Russia's air and drone strikes in Ukraine more than doubled per month in 2024 compared to 2023, and Russian missile attacks struck power plants, depriving Ukraine of 80% of its thermal generation capacity, according to research.
Military casualty counts are contested, with Ukraine and Russia closely guarding data. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimated Russian military casualties would reach one million during summer 2025 and Ukrainian military casualties at 400,000 since 2022. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported nearly 15,000 civilians killed and more than 40,600 injured since February 2022. Ukraine's defence ministry fired a top commander after photos emerged of emaciated soldiers left on the frontline without proper food and water near Kupiansk, according to research. TASS reported that Ukrainian troops trapped in Kupyansk faced critical supply shortages, with commanders pushing them into counterattacks in exchange for food, according to radio intercepts obtained by TASS.