“Russian captive unpacking”: Ukrainians wonder at rotten bulletproof vests, Chinese receivers, expired field rations and other equipment of the “world’s second army”

Jokes about the magnificent “equipment” of the Russian soldiers resurface from time to time. The latest discovery are rotten bulletproof vests that were given to Russian soldiers before they were dispatched to Ukraine. It seems that after finding out about field rations with an expiry date in 2015 there can be nothing to be surprised about. However, Russia always finds a way to prove the opposite. 

Some time ago the Russian federation presented its overblown “military kit for a soldier of the future” called “Ratnik” (wicked tongues called it “Vatnik” [A Russian jingoist and a supporter of Putin’s politics] or used other words that rhyme). The kit consisted of a thermal imager, video modules for sniping, a day-and-night sight aiming system, several knives, active headphones, a control system, a communicator, and even a friend or foe recognition system. It was reported that the Russian troops are equipped with such kits starting from 2014. As of the end of 2020, Rostec State Corporation reported on 300 thousand military kits supplied.

“According to this logic, EVERY serviceman of the Russian Armed Forces taking part in the war against Ukraine is supposed to be equipped like Robocop. Has anyone seen any of this equipment? At least one Ratnik kit? At least on one soldier? We have seen helmets produced in 1943. We have seen Gorka suits in which dad used to hop on the Afghan hills. We have seen the “friend or foe” system which is basically “an elastic band from underpants tied on a hand”. We have not seen any Ratniks,” jokes Viktor Trehubov, Ukrainian publicist, public figure, captain of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

No doubt, this is a result of year-long systematic corruption. It was due to corruption, which is the backbone of the current regime, that the intentionally false information was reported to Putin and this incited him to wage the war. Now corruption is helping Ukraine from the other side of the front. Well this war could not have had a different outcome.