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Feb 16 22 tweets 6 min read
1/ Three Russian generals are reported to have been sacked over the provision of poor-quality uniforms, which has left troops fighting in Ukraine without adequate protection against the cold. A further scandal has erupted over the decision to appoint a new uniform provider. ⬇️
2/ The independent Russian news outlet Verstka reports:
3/ "A month ago, on 19 January, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Defence with the participation of its head, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, two sources familiar with the topic of the meeting said.
4/ The meeting discussed the quality of the military uniforms that are currently being supplied, particularly to the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.
5/ Their quality raised questions among the military commanders, who criticized the cut and seams of the uniform: in their opinion, it did not meet the requirements of thermal insulation, and the military personnel complained of cold and inconvenience.
6/ Shoigu and Gerasimov's dissatisfaction was so great that the meeting resulted in the dismissal of three logistics generals.
7/ The Ministry of Defense works with numerous suppliers of uniforms, and criticism was directed at several of them, including CJSC "Kirasa" and TsNIITOCHMASH."
8/ Verstka reports that uniforms will now be supplied by the Gardarika Design Bureau (see thread below). However, this has been criticised on Russian social media for its high cost and the owners' dubious business record and links with senior officials.
9/ Gardarika was only established in March 2022. 66% of the company is owned by 22-year-old Artyom Stepanenko (right), the son of the deputy head of the Federal Property Management Agency and former governor of the Yaroslavl region, Dmitry Stepanenko.
10/ Artyom Stepanenko appears to have no previous background in clothing manufacture. His only previous claims to fame were in crashing two expensive cars – a $100,000 Tesla and a Mercedes – and driving off without stopping in the second incident.
11/ Russian social media users have criticised Gardarika for charging inexplicably high prices for its products. As Verstka notes, Gardarika charges 4,500 rubles ($60) for a military cap, compared to 1,350 rubles for a competitor's equivalent.
12/ Similarly, a full winter uniform costs as much as 210,000 rubles ($2,800), considerably more than equivalent products. When Russian social media users pointed this out, Gardarika first removed prices from its website, then closed the entire site.
13/ Social media criticism has been scathing, with many – probably correctly – seeing the contract as a corrupt deal to push money into the pockets of well-connected people. The Wagner Group-linked Grey Zone Telegram channel puts the blame on Shoigu:
14/ "The issue here is a bit broader than simply that OKB Gardarika, who sew things from shitty materials with zero experience, and sell them at Cry Precision prices, are 'the best tailors in the world' (which, without exaggeration, the funniest part about it).
15/ The issue is that Shoigu's department has happily agreed to buy it all. Shoigu, who fucked up all the mobilisation supply reserves. When they came to the warehouses and they were empty. Everything has been sold and stolen over the years.
16/ All fighters are clothed by our good [civilian] populace, whether they are mobilised or regular servicemen. Not only does it clothe them, but it also provides them with equipment. Sights. Quadcopters. And even vehicles (jeeps).
17/ How this completely incompetent fucker hasn't been fired yet, I don't know. He's been lying all these years to everyone, from the people and the soldiers to the president. And he has already lost the credibility of the former. It's up to the latter to decide.
18/ Only Putin can change the situation in any way, only he can remove this charlatan and his entourage of generals from any involvement with the Russian Army!"
19/ According to Stepanenko, production of the new uniforms was only launched a month ago but was already approved by the Ministry of Defence.

Verstka says that the decision to appoint Gardarika as a contractor has caused a further scandal in the Ministry of Defence.
20/ A source says that it's unlikely that the contract will be revoked, but "heads could roll" at the ministry over the matter.

Sources:
🔹 verstka.media/skandal-iz-za-…
🔹 t.me/grey_zone/17119
🔹 t.me/milinfolive/96…
🔹 bloknot.ru/obshhestvo/kom…
🔹 msk1.ru/text/incidents…

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More from @ChrisO_wiki

Feb 17
1/ Tajik and Uzbek civilian workers brought to Ukraine to dig frontline trenches for Russian troops are complaining that they have not been paid or fed. They reportedly had to appeal to the Russian military to take them back to Russia. ⬇️ ImageImageImageImage
2/ This isn't the first time complaints have been heard made by migrant workers hired for manual labour in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine (see thread below). The latest reported incident shows that abusive exploitation isn't an isolated problem.
3/ According to the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, "on 14 February, the Interior Ministry and the FSB received information about an appeal from 32 migrants from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, who said that they had previously worked near Luhansk [where they were] digging trenches and…
Read 9 tweets
Feb 17
1/ This video from @wartranslated is interesting for highlighting a few points about the hole that the Wagner Group now finds itself in.

🔺 It illustrates how dependent Wagner is on the Russian Ministry of Defence for supplies.
2/ Wagner may be able to provide the 'meat', but the MOD supplies the ammunition. Wagner's well-publicised efforts to get supplies from North Korea have evidently failed.
3/ 🔺 This isn't the first time Wagner has run short of ammunition, but it's particularly notable against the backdrop of conflict between Wagner's head Yevgeny Prigozhin and the MOD leadership, especially Sergei Shoigu and General Vitaly Gerasimov.
Read 6 tweets
Feb 16
1/ A leaked document shows that Russia is planning to hold nationwide patriotic events for children and young people to mark the one-year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine, and to encourage them to support the war effort materially as well as morally. ⬇️ Image
2/ RBC and TV Rain have published details of a leaked directive from Russia's Federal Ministry of Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh) concerning how young people should commmorate the upcoming Defender of the Fatherland Day on 23 February. TV Rain reports:
3/ "One of the main events should become a mass action "Heroes of our time", during which participants are invited to form a hero's star and shoot a video.
Read 11 tweets
Feb 15
1/ Soldiers returning home to Russia after fighting in Ukraine are reportedly responsible for an increasing number of violent incidents, including fights and shootings. However, the Russian courts are being very lenient towards offenders, dismaying and frustrating civilians. ⬇️
2/ The independent Russian news outlet 'We can explain' ('MO') reports on what it calls 'special military operation syndrome' – the rising incidence of violence committed by returning soldiers. It's likely that many are suffering from untreated PTSD.
3/ Many incidents have been reported but have only resulted in light punishments from the courts, including:
Read 14 tweets
Feb 15
1/ The number of divorces has increased sharply in Russia during the past year, according to official statistics, while in Ukraine the same statistic has fallen – an illustration of how the two societies are being affected differently by the strains of war. ⬇️
2/ The independent Telegram channel 'We can explain' ('MO') reports that figures from Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) show that 625,000 divorces were recorded in 2022 – the highest number since 2014. According to MO's analysis:
3/ ◾️ "The number of divorces in 2022 has increased sharply compared to previous years. In 2021, only 589,000 divorces were recorded in Russia; during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, even less – 505,000. Before that, the record for divorces was recorded in 2014.
Read 9 tweets
Feb 13
1/ A Russian school has attempted to instill "love for the Motherland" in 150 children aged 15-17 by showing them gruesome footage of Russian soldiers being killed in Ukraine. This has reportedly traumatised the teens, prompting criticism from parents and a local civic leader. ⬇️
2/ Propaganda efforts are underway in schools across Russia to improve the patriotism of children and instill in them a sense of the righteousness of defending Russia and joining the army (see below). School no. 30 in Ivanovo seems to have got it wrong.
3/ According to the Russian media outlet 7x7, a 98th Guards Airborne Division officer named Yevgeny Zolotarev gave a presentation which included unblurred footage of Russian soldiers being executed (presumably by Ukrainians). This prompted complaints from parents.
Read 27 tweets

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