Free Republic

Russia's sharp new military uniforms, created by a top fashion designer, have landed hundreds in hospital after proving too thin to withstand the ferocious winter cold, a state daily said Wednesday. Rossiyskaya Gazeta reported that between 60 and 250 servicemen have been laid up with everything from flu to pneumonia as Arctic chills sweep through the country's northern reaches. "They literally felt naked outside," the paper quoted the mother of one soldier as saying. "Many of them ended up in hospital. Ours developed pneumonia," she said of her son. The government daily said defense officials have admitted not receiving complaints...

Russia's too thin 'designer' uniform leads to pneumonia and flu The Russian army's expensive new "designer" uniform has been criticised for being too thin after hundreds of young conscripts in Siberia kitted out in it fell ill with pneumonia and flu. By Andrew Osborn, Moscow 6:00AM GMT 16 Dec 2010 Parents of the sick conscripts blamed the army's new uniform which was created, amid much fanfare, by the flamboyant Moscow fashion designer Valentin Yudashkin. Mr Yudashkin, who is famous in Russia for dressing Kremlin wives, won a multi-million pound tender to give the Red Army's successor a fashion makeover in...

Russian army scraps new uniforms By Steven Eke BBC Russian affairs analyst Russian soldiers rehearse for Victory Day (24 April 2009) Senator Viktor Ozerov said uniforms were not a priority for the army A plan to replace Soviet-era Russian military uniforms with ones by a leading fashion designer has been abandoned because of a lack of money. The plan to bring in the new uniforms, designed by Valentin Yudashkin, was supported by Russian PM Vladimir Putin. There is now only enough money to pay for uniforms for soldiers taking part in the forthcoming Victory Day parade. Everyone else, it seems,...