The ministry of defence’s most recent intelligence update from the war in Ukraine – published on December 23 – suggested rats and mice have joined troops still fighting through the winter.
The intelligence experts put it down to the weather – and the soldiers’ leftover food scraps.
It explained: “This year’s mild autumn, along with ample food from fields left fallow due to the fighting, have likely contributed to the increase in the rodent population.
“As the weather has become colder, the animals are likely seeking shelter in vehicles and defensive positions.
“Rodents will add further pressure to front line combatants’ morale.”
The pests present a serious practical problem, as the MoD explained.
“They pose a risk to military equipment by gnawing through cables – as recorded in the same area during the Second World War,” the intelligence experts said.
“Unverified reports also suggest Russian units started to suffer from increased sickness cases which the troops attribute to the pest problem.”
There has been no truce in the Ukraine-Russia war over the festive period.
Ukraine – which celebrated Christmas Day on December 25 this year after dropping the Russian Orthodox calendar – launched a missile attack on a landing ship in a Crimean port this week.
Russia has since admitted that one of Moscow’s most celebrated ships of its Black Sea fleet, Novocherkassk, was hit on December 26.
Meanwhile, Russian shells have been targeting railway stations in the Ukrainian city of Kherson just as a train was attempting to evacuate locals.