 Russian commanders send drug and alcohol abusers to assault detachments. Russian army commanders likely punish drug and alcohol abusers by posting them to Storm-Z assault detachments. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defense said this in an intelligence update posted on the social platform X. In September 2023, independent Russian media outlet Verstka reported that up to 15% of Russian soldiers in Ukraine were using drugs, including amphetamines and cannabis, and that they were easy to obtain even on the front line. The report says the UK Ministry of Defense notes that these reports are credible and follow numerous reports since the invasion of a high rate of disciplinary incidents, crimes and deaths related to alcohol abuse amongst the Russian force. Russian commanders likely frequently punish drug and alcohol abusers by posting them to Storm-Z assault detachments, which have effectively become penal units, the report says. Experts at the UK Ministry of Defense say that one of the core drivers of poor Russian discipline and substance abuse likely remains the continued lack of opportunity for combat troops to rotate away from the front line.