Russian commanders may not have known about wood as a source of radioactivity, or they may not have cared. Either way, it shows once again the bad planning and poor leadership within the Russian army. Its reputation for its capabilities and as an effective modern combat force has collapsed in the last five weeks of the war in Ukraine, in which thousands of soldiers have been killed. The Kremlin has tried to silence reports of casualties and military blunders by the Russian military. Many of the wounded and dead soldiers from the failed attack in Kyiv are being treated in Gomel, a border town in Belarus, where doctors and nurses have previously told The Telegraph that they have vowed to keep it a secret.
