"They even eat socks"

Russian soldiers complain about a terrible plague of mice

From croissants to cables for military equipment: according to Russian soldiers, the mice at the front simply nibble on everything.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Twitter/rumilornithology, diomeddog)

Russian soldiers at the front are apparently suffering from a plague of mice: the pests are "eating everything they can reach". This also affects military equipment, such as cables and batteries. The animals are also a health risk - several soldiers have already contracted a virus known as "mouse plague".

"Anyone who has never fought mice thinks they are cute. Far from it! 'Mickey Mouse' is a natural disaster. They eat everything from cables to drones and tin cans to socks. Even a quad bike has been gnawed on from all sides," says Russian war blogger Platon Mamatov on his Telegram channel, describing the unpleasant situation of soldiers at the front. 

Outbreak of potentially deadly hantavirus
A notorious Chechen special unit also reported its problems with the rodents. It reported the outbreak of a potentially fatal hemorrhagic fever transmitted by mice on social media. The hantavirus is transmitted via excrement from rodents such as mice and rats. 

From croissants to cables for military equipment: according to Russian soldiers, the mice at the front simply nibble on everything.(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Twitter/rumilornithology, diomeddog)

Several soldiers from a battalion stationed near Zaporizhzhya in south-eastern Ukraine have already been infected with the virus. The pathogen is feared among the troops under the name "mouse plague", as reported by "The Telegraph". An infection can lead to flu-like symptoms, but also to severe kidney problems and bleeding (e.g. from the eyes). Depending on the strain and type of infection, the hantavirus can have a mortality rate of up to 38 percent.

Paramedic: "Mice are everywhere"
A Russian medic from the Akhmat battalion described the situation in a Telegram channel: "Mice are everywhere. We wake up because they run over us. We even fight with them over cans of condensed milk," she said, according to the Russian newspaper "Pravda". She herself considers mice to be "defenceless and tender animals", but admitted: "Three of our men have contracted mousepox and didn't want to agree with me."

A Russian military blogger reported on Telegram that the mice also cause major damage to military equipment and infrastructure. "Video cables, control cables, internet cables, batteries and other parts necessary for operation are being eaten away," said the Russian. Equipment is often put out of action for days - and the delivery of spare parts is also extremely difficult.

This is not the first time that infections of Russian soldiers with the hantavirus have become public. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, there was an explosion in cases among Russian troops in Kharkiv in 2023.