Russia-backed military conscripts in the Donbas region are forced to drink pond water and use decades-old rifles because of their poor equipment.
A person close to the leadership of the region, a student conscript, three wives of conscripts, and the acquaintance of another conscript were all spoken to by the news agency.
The student conscript told the news agency that he had to drink from a pond because he was not supplied with water.
He said they drank water with dead frog in it. Two other sources said conscripts had to drink water.
Three people who saw the conscripts using weapons told the news agency that some of them were given Mosin rifles, which were developed in the late 19th century and went out of production decades ago.
The student conscript said that he saw two people with the Mosin, and that it was similar to World War Two muskets.
One student conscript told the news agency that he didn't know how to fire an automatic weapon.
The source who is close to the leadership of the region told the news agency that the supplies for the soldiers are a disaster.
The Kremlin and the authorities in the Donbas did not reply to questions about supplies.
The armed forces in Donbas are fighting alongside the military of Russia. Multiple reports and Western intelligence say the Russian military is struggling.
The site of war between Russia and Ukraine has been in the eastern part of the country.
Russia recognized the independence of the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk days before it invaded Ukraine.
The conflict in the Donbas claimed over 12,000 lives before the February invasion began, and the Kremlin-backed rebels control roughly one-third of the area.
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