Russian reservists called up to fight in Ukraine likely to 'buy their own body armour': UK

Logistical and corruption issues continue to hinder Russia’s mobilization efforts, according to a recent intelligence briefing by the British government. The UK Ministry of Defence, on Saturday, informed on Twitter that dozens of Russian reservists are likely to buy their own body armour, as the equipment provided to them by the Kremlin is “almost certainly lower than the already poor provision of previously deployed troops.”

“Many reservists are likely required to purchase their own body armour, especially the modern 6B45 vest, which is meant to be on general issue to combat units as part of the Ratnik personal equipment programme,” read the Twitter post. The defence ministry further said that “endemic corruption and poor logistics” were key factors that have contributed to Russia’s current “poor performance” in Ukraine.

According to the ministry, the "modern 6B45 vest", which is an essential part of Russia’s Ratnik personal equipment programme, is being sold on Russian e-commerce websites for 40,000 roubles (about US$640 or £570), a stark increase from April’s figure of about 12,000 roubles. The ministry further added that two years ago, Russia declared that it had supplied 300,000 sets of the Ratnik armour to its fighters, which was an “ample” amount “to equip the force currently deployed in Ukraine.”

Putin talks about mobilisation effort, issues a warning to NATO

Meanwhile, on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that he expects the mobilization of reservists to be fully complete in about two weeks. The 70-year-old, who has been condemned by countries across the globe, told journalists that he did not initially begin the conflict “to destroy Ukraine,” AP reported. “What is happening today is unpleasant, to put it mildly,” he said after attending a summit in the capital of Kazakhstan. “But we would have had all this a little later, only under worse conditions for us, that’s all. So my actions are correct and timely,” Putin added. 

Recently, the Russian President also warned NATO, threatening that if the troops of the organisation directly clash with Russian forces, the move could result in a catastrophe that would impact the globe. "In any case, direct contact, direct clash of NATO troops with the Russian army is a very dangerous move which could lead to a global catastrophe. I hope that those who are saying this are smart enough not to take such a step," he said.