Rats in Ukrainian trenches cause soldiers to 'bleed from their eyes'

There are so many rodents that even trench cats cannot cope with their rapidly growing numbers. Photo: ANADOLU

Ukrainian steel trenches are reported to be infested with rats and mice, a stark echo of the First World War.

Rodent numbers have surged along the mostly stationary 621-mile front line, infecting soldiers with sickening diseases that have left them bleeding from the eyes.

Video posted on social media shows mice and rats found in beds, backpacks , electric generators, pockets, pillowcases and mortars.

“Imagine that you are going to bed. , and the night begins with a mouse crawling into your pants or sweater, or gnawing on your fingertips, or biting your hand,” a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign Kira told CNN.

She added that in the trench, where she and three others are stationed on the southern front in Zaporozhye, there are 1,000 rats.

There are so many rodents, Kira says, that even the popular trench cats can't quickly deal with them. their numbers are growing.

Rodents chewed through electrical wires, ruined rations and disrupted the rest of exhausted soldiers. Photo: ANADOLU

The nocturnal parasites are thought to be attracted to the warmth and food they can find in trenches in very cold winter conditions, with temperatures dropping to -25C in recent weeks.

Soldiers said the animals were munching on… for electrical wires, spoiled rations and disruption of much-needed rest for exhausted soldiers.

Last year, fighting in some areas prevented the harvest from being harvested, providing food for a successful mating season among the animals reaching their age . peak in autumn.

“It will get colder and colder, and they will go more and more into the trenches,” says Igor Zagorodnyuk, a researcher at the National Museum of History of Ukraine.

It is believed that pests are attracted to the warmth and food they can find in trenches. Photo: ANATOLY STEPANOV/AFP

“The situation will not change until they all go through this.

Mr Zagorodnyuk said specialized mouse-catching units needed to be created to focus on eradicating the rodents and preventing further damage to the military's «combat readiness.»

Russian trenches are also infested. where piles of rat excrement are responsible for the spread of disease and infection among Moscow troops.

In December, Ukrainian military intelligence reported that rat fever was spreading rapidly among Russian soldiers. on the Kupyan Front.

Officers are said to have believed that their rank and file were trying to avoid fighting when complaints first surfaced, allowing the fever to spread «en masse.»