Russian forces fighting in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine have been dealing with an outbreak of "mouse fever" that's affected the soldiers' combat effectiveness, according to a Tuesday report from Ukraine's military.
In a Telegram post, Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR) reported that mouse fever has spread through the ranks of the Russian troops "due to inadequate provision of winter clothing and a complete lack of medical care." The post did not indicate how many soldiers were believed to be sick.
The infectious disease seemingly described by Ukraine is a type of hantavirus. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the potentially fatal disease is caused when people become infected with a type of bacteria carried by rodents.
"The disease is viral in nature and is transmitted to humans from rodents—through direct contact with the pathogen, by inhaling mouse excrement dust or by getting it into food consumed by humans," GUR wrote.
Newsweek could not independently verify GUR's report about mouse fever, and the Russian Ministry of Defense was contacted by email on Wednesday for comment.
Ukraine's intelligence department added that Russian commanders likely ignored sick troops, thinking they were trying to avoid fighting.
"Complaints about the fever from the Russian army personnel involved in the war against Ukraine were ignored by the command, which regarded them as another manifestation of evasion from participation in combat operations," GUR wrote.
GUR wrote that the outbreak of mouse fever occurred near the city of Kupyansk in Kharkiv Oblast, where the combat capability of the sickened Russians has been "significantly reduced" as a result.
Symptoms of mouse fever include severe headache, rashes, fever, low blood pressure, joint pain and swelling, nausea and vomiting. GUR said the disease often resembles a common flu during its early stages, and "because the disease affects the kidneys, a person infected with mouse fever experiences intense low back pain and has serious difficulty urinating."
The CDC's website indicated that when left untreated, hantaviruses can cause those who are infected to go into shock and suffer acute kidney failure.
Though GUR's report said Russia's military in the area around Kupyansk has been compromised due to mouse fever, Russia's Ministry of Defense reported earlier this week its forces in the region had been successful in recent clashes with Kyiv's military.
Russia's defense ministry on Monday said Ukraine had lost 640 soldiers, two tanks and a Bradley infantry fighter vehicle (IFV) in 24 hours of fighting. Those figures included more than 60 troops lost near Kupyansk in one day.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
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