Hundreds of Russians who have been forced to dig trenches at the Chernobyl site face a horrible death after being exposed to radiation, it has been claimed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has put his own troops to work in Chernobyl - one of the most deadly and contaminated places in the world.
The result of being exposed to nuclear radiation is the likelihood of having life-threatening cancer as one expert said: “Putin’s commanders might as well have ordered these men to dig their own graves.”
The radiation damage to Russian troops started last month after several developed skin rashes and were suffering red and itchy eyes.
There were around 2,500 soldiers and tanks who took control of Chernobyl on February 24.
However, Putin ordered the troops to move out on March 31 after dozens of men were told to dig up the ground - with images showing how close the troops were to the contaminated site.
Dr Olena Buntova, a retired biologist living in Chernobyl, told The Sun : “How could they have been so stupid?
“The commanders who ordered the digging must have cared nothing for the safety of their men. No one is normally allowed to walk on the ground there or disturb it because of the levels of radioactive material still sinking through the soil."
She also said Russians were shovelling soil into sandbags which would have surrounded their bodies with deadly radiation.
And, rather bleakly, Dr Olena Buntova, warned that once the radiation enters the body, it never leaves with the damage to the soldiers set to last.
As the Russian troops took over the site, many of the plant's Ukrainian staff continued to oversee the 1986 nuclear accident.
Staff were supervising the remains of the reactor that exploded and ensuring the safe storage of spent nuclear fuel.
There were estimated to be around 170 Ukrainian staff who had no access to fresh air or the outside as they were locked in an underground bunker for a month.
The nuclear site had become a popular tourist attraction in recent times with Chernobyl attracting visitors from across the globe.
However, the radiation site has remained unopened due to the current war in Ukraine as The International Atomic Energy Agency is due to carry out an investigation on the site to check its safety.
