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Nine in ten Ukrainian soldiers struggle with gambling addiction — legislator

According to Alexey Goncharenko, "this is a problem that right now is destroying military morale"

MOSCOW, March 28./TASS/. The overwhelming majority of Ukrainian soldiers are gambling addicts, a problem that leaks into military morale, Verkhovna Rada (parliament) legislator Alexey Goncharenko (on the list of terrorists and extremists in Russia) said.

"Nine in ten soldiers on the front line have problems with casinos or betting (betting on sports at betting agencies - TASS). They lose money. Then they take out loans. This is a vicious circle. This is a problem that right now is destroying military morale," the parliamentarian wrote on his Telegram channel.

In addition, Goncharenko believes that this dependence will lead to problems in the future, as when a serviceman is discharged from the army he will find himself unable to cope with the responsibilities of civilian life, making him "an ideal target for the criminal world."

Lately, experts have been reporting a decline in the morale of the Ukrainian military amid failures on the frontline and changes in military leadership. The West's disappointment with the outcome of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, as well as problems with the approval of a new US aid package, have also had a negative impact on the combat capability of the Ukrainian army. As CNN pointed out on March 10, Russia's use of 1.5-ton guided aerial bombs (FAB-1500), causing serious damage to critical infrastructure and heavy casualties among the Ukrainian military "puts a lot of pressure on soldiers’ morale."

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