Dig In!

 It's a common Infantry practice.  When you stop, dig a hole. From the breastworks of the Civil War, to the trenches of WWI to the foxholes of WWII and Vietnam.  Dig In!  Anything that will stop a bullet, or provide protection against horizontal fire.  It's one of the reasons that I left what I call the "walking-around" army and got into the "riding-around" army.  I hate digging holes.  Still, it's a common infantry practice.

Now we are learning that the Russian army dug in around the Chernobyl nuke plant.

When rumors swirled that Russian troops who had occupied Chernobyl were being treated for radiation poisoning, experts scoffed. Yes, they said, Russians (and Ukrainians) in the vicinity would have been exposed to higher than normal levels of radiation as movement in the area kicked radioactive dust up into the air. And yes, if the reports were true that the Russians had spent time in the no-go zone known as the “Red Forest,” then they might expect to walk away with a higher long-term risk of cancer than the average person. But radiation sickness requires a truly massive dose. And besides, why the hell would they be digging trenches in the Red Forest? Surely they’d know better than to surround themselves with Chernobyl’s most toxic soil.

The link above has drone footage of fresh earthworks outside the plant.  In some of the most heavily contaminated soil in the world. 

Just Damn.