Russian VVO troops receive over 4,000 sets of Ratnik protection outfit.

Servicemen of the formations and military units of the Eastern Military District (VVO) continue to master Ratnik outfits, VVO said. "The troops have received more than 1,600 Ratnik sets and about 1,200 sets of specialized assault gear, which consists of flexible fragmentation protective modules; a bullet-proof armor plate; side air fresheners; a transport bag, etc," it said.

Ratnik protection outfit (Picture source: Vitaly Kuzmin)

The drivers of armored vehicles have received more than 1,200 Ratnik-3K individual protective kits, which protect tank crews from an open fire impact, high temperatures and splinters which appear in the inhabited compartment in case a tank or an armored vehicle is hit by a shell. The Ratnik-3K suit also protects elbows and knees from various sorts of mechanical injuries. Besides, special purpose and reconnaissance units have received about a thousand Yarygin Pistols.

Ratnik is a new-generation Russian combat outfit. It has been designed as part of the general project to improve the quality of each individual serviceman on the battlefield through the use of the latest scientific achievements in the field of navigation; advanced night vision systems; new materials in making armor and clothes tissue as well as through monitoring a serviceman’s psychological and physical state. Ratnik is a system combining modern means of protection and communication, weapons and ammunition.