Russian conscripts told to ‘stick tampons in bullet wounds’ and bring car first aid kits to the battlefield
27 September 2022, 10:35
Newly-mobilised Russian soldiers told to bring pads and tampons to deal with injuries on the front in Ukraine
Russian conscripts are being instructed to arrange their majority of their own kit, including getting tampons from their girlfriends to insert into bullet wounds.
Video footage circulating online shows a commander explaining to new troops they will need to arrange their own vital medical supplies as the army will only supply them with “uniforms and armour”.
A female military commander can be seen in clip telling troops: “Take sleeping bags with you. You will have to sleep where you have to.
“All the army provides you with is uniforms and armour.
“All this applies to medicine, diarrhoea tablets, hydrogen peroxide tourniquets. I don’t have enough tourniquets for you.
One conscript says : “There are no tourniquets in pharmacies.
Read more: Russia poised to close borders to stop military-aged men from fleeing
“Ask relatives,” says the commander.
“Car first aid kits,” she adds. “Get car first aid kits and take medical tourniquets from there.
“Ask your wives, girls, mothers for pads.
“The cheapest pads and the cheapest tampons.
“Do you know what tampons are for. You stick it right into the bullet wound and that’s it!
“The tampon begins to swell and closes the wound. I know this since the Chechen war.”
Video footage circulating online shows a commander explaining to new troops they will need to arrange their own vital medical supplies as the army will only supply them with “uniforms and armour”.
A female military commander can be seen in clip telling troops: “Take sleeping bags with you. You will have to sleep where you have to.
“All the army provides you with is uniforms and armour.
“All this applies to medicine, diarrhoea tablets, hydrogen peroxide tourniquets. I don’t have enough tourniquets for you.
One conscript says : “There are no tourniquets in pharmacies.
“Ask relatives,” says the commander.
“Car first aid kits,” she adds. “Get car first aid kits and take medical tourniquets from there.
“Ask your wives, girls, mothers for pads.
“The cheapest pads and the cheapest tampons.
“Do you know what tampons are for. You stick it right into the bullet wound and that’s it!
“The tampon begins to swell and closes the wound. I know this since the Chechen war.”
Tens of thousands have fled Russia after Putin announced he would be mobilizing the general population to fight in Ukraine.
Images shared by those who remain showed armed Russian troops going door to door to pressure Ukrainians into voting.
Russian media also speculated that Mr Putin may follow up on last week's order of partial mobilisation by declaring martial law and shutting the nation's borders for all men of fighting age.
The mobilisation has triggered a massive exodus of men from the country, fuelled protests in many regions across Russia and sparked occasional acts of violence.
On Monday, a gunman opened fire in an enlistment office in a Siberian city and wounded the chief military recruitment officer.
The shooting came after scattered arson attacks on enlistment offices.
In the latest move to stem the tide of men fleeing Russia to avoid mobilisation, Russian officials declared plans to set up a military recruitment office right on the border with Georgia, one of the main routes of the exodus.
And trying to assuage public outrage, numerous Russian officials and politicians have acknowledged that mistakes were made during the mobilisation - when military conscription offices were rounding up random people without military experience who were not supposed to be called up.
