Rafal Gonowicz said "Those people [Soviets] were so numbed by narcotics that they were just rushing forward for certain death". How true is this? Was the Red Army really doped up on drugs? If so, which kinds and how common were they?

by ritleh14

Full quote:

"Those people were so numbed by narcotics that they were just rushing forward for certain death. And maybe fighting against them was less risky than against a trained rebellion but it was really uncomfortable because a man was aware that he was shooting to innocent people. To dazed, innocent people."

So, is it true? I know the brutal policy of the Soviets during WW2 could be explained by such a thing. Maybe it was just alcohol? Or was meth/opiates/etc also common?

Georgy_K_Zhukov

Literally no idea where that suggestion is coming from, but I have written about certain Red Army tropes here, as well as the drinking culture in the Red Army here.

Jon_Beveryman

Zhukov has already linked back to some answers regarding these WW2-era tropes, but if I may ask - which conflict does Ganowicz reference here? He was a mercenary in some of the Cold War-era African conflicts, which makes me think perhaps he's referencing alleged Soviet advisers or mercenaries in one of these wars.