Many Russian reservists called up to fight in Ukraine will likely have to buy their own armor – and prices have soared, according to a recent British intelligence briefing.
The UK Ministry of Defense said in its daily update that “endemic corruption and poor logistics” remained the cause of Russia’s “poor performance” in Ukraine. The ministry said the average amount of personal equipment Russia provides to its deployed reservists is “almost certainly less than the already scarce supply of previously deployed troops”.
The ministry said the vest was being sold on Russian online shopping sites for 40,000 rubles (about 658 euros), up from about 12,000 rubles in April.