Russian Soldier Says Body Armor Supplied by Military is 'Terrible' (2024)
As the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, a Russian soldier said that the body armor provided to them by the Russian military is "terrible."
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) frequently shares calls on its website allegedly intercepted from Russian troops, and one Russian soldier reportedly asked his mother to send money so they can purchase better protective armor.
According to The Daily Beast, the SSU shared a call in which the soldier's mother asked, "How much do you need? And what kind of equipment? And you have to buy that with your own money?"
The soldier reportedly replied, "Body armor. It's just that what we have now is terrible."
While Russia has downplayed the significant losses its military has taken since the invasion was launched in late February, more and more evidence is coming out through international media that Russian forces may be struggling more than they are letting on.
Videos published by Al Jazeera show a worker wearing protective clothing zipping up white body bags in a refrigerated train wagon full of piled-up bodies. Al Jazeera reported that the bodies were "unclaimed" and belonged to Russian soldiers who died on the front line, though Newsweek could not independently verify the videos.
Beyond a lack of body armor, Russian soldiers have reportedly been battling low morale and discontent caused by the Russian command's poor treatment of troops.
The SSU also detailed text messages sent from a commander in April fighting near Izium, who wrote, "Everyone here is completely demoralized. There are 10 to 15 people left in the companies at best. About 60 young servicemen have been added… half of them are cowards, dammit, and panickers."
Russian soldiers have reportedly taken to shooting at their own cars in order to avoid going to the front lines, according to the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Military Administration.
"This Russian army that's been trying to modernize over the course of the last couple of decades, and it's done a fairly good job of getting the right equipment and capabilities, but they are poorly led. There's nothing worse in any organization than crappy leadership, and that's exactly what the Russians are displaying," Marks said.
Military experts weighed in in March that the Russian army seemed only "days" away from running out of resources, though they have continued to hold on as the attacks on Ukraine continue.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
Ratnik protects almost 90% of a soldier's body. The main body armor with plates, designated 6B45 '6Б45', is rated at protection class 6, according to GOST R 50744-95, and weighs 7.5 kg (with the Assault variant weighing up to 15 kg).
Bulletproof. The Russian state-owned military developer Rostec says that its next generation of combat armor will be able to withstand a direct shot from a .50 caliber bullet.
Most commonly used as a protection barrier against multiple shots from a military assault rifle, such as the M-16, and the like, with muzzle energy of 1158-1402 foot-pounds (1570-1901J).
The PLA has started to procure body armors for soldiers on large scale since March 2020, with 1.4 million body armor on order, which includes 930,000 units of plates for universal bulletproof vests and 467,000 units of plates for an enhanced bulletproof vest.
Level IV body armor will stop pistol rounds, rifle rounds, even 30-06 steel-core armor penetrating rounds! What is the highest-rated body armor? Level IV (4) is the highest rating of personal body armor. There is no such thing as Level V (5) body armor at this time.
Overall, Russian armour is relatively capable; it must contend with past design decisions that can expose the crew to risk, but images of destroyed tanks rarely provide an idea of the impact that vehicles had upon the fighting before they were destroyed.
SAPI and ESAPI are the most technically advanced body armor fielded by the U.S. military, and are constructed of boron carbide ceramic with a Spectra shield backing that breaks down projectiles and halts their momentum.
Developments in tank armor soon made tanks generally impervious to 50 caliber rounds,39 but according to the Marine Corps and other authorities, the 50 caliber can still blast through more lightly armored vehicles, such as armored personnel carriers, and thus clearly through armored limousines.
50 caliber rifle is a powerful gun. Widely used in the military, its rounds can "penetrate light armor, down helicopters, destroy commercial aircraft, and blast through rail cars," according to a report from the Violence Policy Center, a gun safety group.
Hard armor systems including a ceramic faceplate, CMF core, and aluminum backing plate can be the perfect armor against calibers up to 50 caliber ball and armor-piercing rounds.
These guardians understand an AR-15's mass murder capability — and so should we. AR-15 bullets can penetrate the soft body armor typically worn by police, which is built to stop handgun rounds.
What level body armor do police wear? Most patrol officers choose to wear level IIIA soft armor vests for their everyday wear while on duty. But this is often supplemented with level III and IV 5 x 8 or 7 x 9 hard plates that can come in small form factors for inclusion with everyday duty wear.
The NIJ classifies body armor in to 5 distinct levels:Level IIA, Level II, Level IIIA, Level III and Level IV; by their ability to prevent specified rounds at predetermined velocities.
The Armor, Body Fragmentation Protective, with ¾ Collar, better known as the M-69, was fielded during the Vietnam War. The M-69 was very similar to the M-1952 it replaced, but included a stiff collar that provided neck protection, but sometimes interfered with the wear of the M1 steel helmet.
The military is very big on uniformity (less variables to deal with). Having thicker or longer hair makes it difficult to wear military headgear properly, also thick hair can impede the proper fit and function of safety equipment like a chemical mask for example. For these reasons short hair is preferred.
The story of bullet proof jackets is no different. These were introduced in small numbers in the late 1990s, but proved to be heavy and short on protection. Even these were in short supply and could meet only 30-40 per cent of the requirement by the mid-2000s. Soldiers were reluctant to wear them because of the weight.
Few laws restrict civilians' rights to buy or own body armor. Federal law prohibits people with violent felony records from owning it, and in many states, people who wear body armor while committing certain crimes can receive longer prison terms or lose the opportunity for parole.
Level IV is the highest rifle plate rating under the NIJ personal body armor specs at this time. A level IV must stop a single hit of 7.62MM AP “Black Tip”, which is effectively a .30-06 Armor Piercing bullet.
However, any bullet – small or large – that travels at a high rate of speed will get through body armor. Huge handgun rounds such as . 44 Magnum and . 45 ACP will travel at slower speeds, which allows the body armor to stop them.
Will Level 4 Body Armor Stop a 30-06 Armor Piercing Bullet? Yes, an NIJ Level 4 body armor plate will stop an AP bullet fired from any shoulder-fired gun made today.
By carefully looking at these units, it can be noticed that Russian, but also Ukrainian tanks are equipped with small blocks all around their armour. These blocks are an additional defensive armour, which serves the purpose to protect the tank and its crew from anti-tank weapons.
Russian materiel is generally exceptionally well designed and adequately built. To take a specific example, the Orlan-10, which is the primary drone flown by Russian forces, is cheap and simple to operate.
While the T-64 was the superior tank, it was more expensive and physically complex, and was produced in smaller numbers. The T-72 is mechanically simpler and easier to service in the field, while it is not as well protected, and its manufacturing process is correspondingly simpler.
In Vietnam, some SEALs preferred American-made Levi's 501 and 505 denim jeans instead of standard issue dungarees. Specifically during late 1970 and early 1971, SEALs donned Levi's jeans in combat.
Having a good pair of sunglasses will reduce eye strain from ultraviolet rays and provide superior visibility. Navy SEALs and other military members rely on sunglasses to provide them with better vision while in the field or the range.
The U.S. military wears only NIJ-Listed Level 4 plates in active combat environments, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and small conflicts in Africa and South America. The reason they always wear 4 is the protection it offers versus Level 3 plates.
SILVER BULLET made from depleted uranium can pierce even the heaviest armor. Uranium shells burn away at the edges upon impact¿a "self-sharpening" that helps them bore into armor. Used as ammunition, it penetrates the thick steel encasing enemy tanks; used as armor, it protects troops against attack.
How quickly do bullets stop in water? All supersonic bullets (up to .50-caliber) disintegrated in less than 3 feet (90 cm) of water, but slower velocity bullets, like pistol rounds, need up to 8 feet (2.4 m) of water to slow to non-lethal speeds.
With a combat range of 20–800 m and a single shape charge, NLAW is the best anti-tank weapon for infantries and dismounted troops in complex terrain. Extremely flexible, NLAW can attack from almost any position, from up high in a building to behind a tree or in a ditch.
Federal law prohibits the possession of newly manufactured machine guns, but permits the transfer of machine guns lawfully owned prior to May 19, 1986, if the transfer is approved by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives.
Ukrainian Armor currently produces: Military bulletproof vests of NIJ IIA, II, IIIA, III, IV protection levels. Bulletproof vests of concealable and semi-concealable types of NIJ IIA, II, IIIA protection levels. Bulletproof helmets of NIJ IIIA protection level, V50 720 m/s.
“A Level 4 combat vest — which can stop pistol and rifle rounds as well as shrapnel — costs on average 70,000 rubles ($1,200). A helmet is another 10,000 rubles ($160). Decent boots are about 5,000 rubles ($80), and you really need two pairs. A tactical vest costs from 5,000 to 10,000 rubles ($80-160).
The protective technology currently being produced by the Russians is known as Superthread, made from ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. The reason it's so lightweight is that polyethylene is the same plastic water bottles, grocery bags, and pretty much half the stuff in your house is made from.
This type of cage armor is meant to protect the top of a tank's turret — where the armored vehicles are most vulnerable — to the top-down blast of ATGMs like Javelin, the Swedish-British Next-generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW), or the Ukrainian-made Skif, also called the Stugna-P.
M-1952A vests began reaching U.S. Army troops in Korea in late 1952, and remained in service through the Vietnam War. The Armor, Body Fragmentation Protective, with ¾ Collar, better known as the M-69, was fielded during the Vietnam War.
“Bulletproof” vests of Russian forces are made of cardboard instead of armored plates. Such “bulletproof” vests were worn by the crew members of the Russian Barnaul-T armored car captured by the Ukrainian army.
The Good. Most of Russia's tanks are well protected to the front. The frontal armour of the slope at the front of the hull, known as the glacis, typically combines high hardness steels with composites or materials like fibre glass that are known to be challenging for weapons like the RPG-7.
Level IV armor is the highest rating of body armor currently available, and it will stop armor-piercing rifle threats. It can withstand up to 30-06 M2ap steel core armor-piercing rounds with a mass of 166 grains and a velocity of 2880 ft/s.
Coca-Cola's acquisition of BodyArmor brings it more than just a fast-growing brand, it also secures ongoing support from the brand's executive team, including co-founder and chairman Mike Repole and President Brent Hastie.
Introduction: My name is Aracelis Kilback, I am a nice, gentle, agreeable, joyous, attractive, combative, gifted person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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