Apparently, Russian troops were forced to dig in defensive positions around the defunct Chernobyl nuclear plant, where the dirt itself radioactive. Surely nothing bad will happen to those guys.

As an infantryman, I've received my fair share of stupid orders. I've police called piss bottles outside of a post in the middle of Iraq during a sniper threat to appease a company commander who didn't want to be embarrassed. I've run headlong into a probable minefield pursuing an enemy who was long-gone. But, honestly, I think I probably would have drawn the line at digging in defensive positions around an abandoned nuclear power plant where the dirt itself was radioactive.

Who am I kidding. I once sat in a defense posture around a gigantic container of mustard gas in the middle of the Iraqi desert. I too probably would have dug in around the nuclear power plant, but I would have complained the whole time.

For the purpose of context, this video shows the defensive positions around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant that were dug in by Russian forces while they still controlled the area.