Russians recruited to fight in Ukraine told to use tampons to treat bullet wounds

Russian reservists being called up to fight in Ukraine are reportedly being told to take tampons and sanitary pads to use as bandages because the army is running out of first aid supplies.

A video widely shared on social media platform Telegram shows a military officer shouting at a crowd of draftees telling them they are responsible for their own first aid kits.

“Take sleeping bags with you. You will have to sleep where you have to,” says the officer. “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.”

The commander replies: “Ask relatives... 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.”

He adds: “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.”

Last week, Vladimir Putin ordered some 300,000 military reservists to prepare for service in Russia’s struggling campaign.

However, the video has been dismissed as “fake” by Russian authorities, reported The Daily Beast.

“You don’t need sanitary pads,” said United Russia lawmaker Dmitry Perminov, and cited Mr Putin’s promise that all draftees will be provided with everything they need.