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Ukraine’s defence ministry has fired a top commander after photos emerged of a group of emaciated soldiers who have been left on the frontline for months without proper food and water.

The scandal erupted after the wife of one of the soldiers, Anastasiia Silchuk, posted the images on social media. The four men appear to be pale and visibly malnourished, with prominent ribcages and thin arms.

The soldiers had spent eight months defending a shrinking bulge of territory on the left bank of the Oskil River, near the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk, their relatives said. Supplies of food and medicines could only be flown in by drone.

“When the lads arrived at the frontlines, they weighed over 80–90kg. But now they weigh around 50kg,” Silchuk posted. After one delivery, she said, no more food turned up for 10 days. The soldiers were forced to drink rainwater and melt snow to survive.

“The longest they went without food was 17 days. They weren’t listened to on the radio, or perhaps no one wanted to listen to them. My husband shouted and begged, saying there was no food and water,” she said, adding that the problem was bigger than just one case.

Another relative, Ivanna Poberezhnyuk, said the soldiers from the 14th separate mechanised brigade were left in an extremely difficult situation. “Fighters are losing consciousness from hunger,” she said. Her father was evacuated from the position, but others were still stuck there, she added.

Ukraine’s general staff said it had replaced the commander, who was responsible for feeding the soldiers. The brigade acknowledged there were logistical problems and said deliveries were only possible by air because their location was extremely close to enemy lines.

A spokesperson said: “Everything is done by drones. The Russians pay maximum attention to the deliveries of food, ammunition and fuel. They intercept and shoot down as much as possible. Sometimes they are not so interested in our military equipment as in logistics, actually.”

Since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale 2022 invasion, the grey zone between the two sides has expanded dramatically. Both use drones extensively for surveillance and to target armoured vehicles and infantry. Soldiers are forced to walk 10-15kms to reach their forward positions.

In recent months, Ukraine has been using more and more unmanned ground robots to sent supplies into exposed areas and to evacuate wounded soldiers. In the Kupiansk sector, Russia has destroyed bridges across the Oskil River, in an attempt to cut off Ukrainian forces on the left bank.

Since the issue came to light, conditions have improved, Silchuk said on Friday. She posted: “There’s a new commander. He rang us and said the situation is being resolved. And it really is. My husband wrote to me that he’s just eaten more than he has in the last eight months.”

She added: “The lads are eating little by little at the moment. Their stomachs have shrunk, and they don’t know whether they will have food tomorrow or not. I believe this situation needed to be publicised. There needs to be a rotation; the boys require medical treatment.”

Ukraine’s military command said it had launched an investigation. “It should be noted that recently another shipment of food was delivered to the position of the 14th Infantry Brigade. If favourable conditions exist, an immediate evacuation of our soldiers will be carried out,” it added.