Gas gangrene, a lethal bacterial infection once rare in Europe, is resurfacing among Ukrainian troops as the war continues, according to military medical officials.
Gas Gangrene Among Ukrainian Soldiers
Military doctors informed *The Telegraph* that the number of gas gangrene cases is rising. Until recently it was considered absent in Europe, but during the ongoing war in Ukraine it has been appearing more frequently. Gas gangrene, also known as gas gangrene, is a bacterial infection that arises from deep wounds. Clostridium bacteria that emerge in the body rapidly destroy muscle tissue, causing severe pain, swelling, tissue discoloration and a “cracking” sensation when gases move in tissues.
It is believed to be a phenomenon from World War I. Since then it has become far rarer due to early wound cleaning, prompt surgery, antibiotics and better wound care, explained a medical officer who had served in Afghanistan during an interview with Alastair Beaven.
Medical Staff Observations
An emergency medical volunteer in the Zaporizhzhia region told *The Telegraph* that complications are appearing that no living person has witnessed in a war before. Delays in evacuation that did not occur in the last 50 years, perhaps since World War II, are now causing previously unseen pathology. Patients arrive at hospitals with injuries that have worsened over several weeks and must be sustained for further weeks. Those with such wounds are not receiving adequate care because they cannot be transported back to hospitals quickly enough.
Dr Lindsey Edwards, a microbiology lecturer at King’s College London, explained that treating gas gangrene requires surgical debridement of the infected area and intravenous administration of strong antibiotics. She warned that it is an exceptionally lethal infection; if untreated, mortality approaches 100%. In Ukraine, limited medical assistance makes proper treatment extremely difficult.
Broader Situation in Ukraine
Ukrainian forces recently lost control of three settlements in the southeastern part of the Zaporizhzhia region. Intense fighting is ongoing there against Russian forces. General Oleksandr Syrski, commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said the situation had worsened near Oleksandriivka and Huliaipole, where the enemy, using numerical advantage, captured three settlements. Army Group “South” is fighting for Rovnopol and Yablukove.
The UNIAN agency reported an increase in desertions since October. Military analysts say that if the situation does not change and Ukraine insists on holding Pokrovsko and neighboring Myrnohrad at all costs, a bloody battle could end with a chaotic reversal.
