by Kirill Velesov
[REGNUM] This story began in the spring, when Russian fighters in the Luhansk direction got their hands on blankets that could make them “invisible” – protect them from the (almost) all-seeing eye of thermal imagers.
The blankets for the front were made by volunteers from villages in the Lipetsk region. Local residents sewed and put camouflage nets on them themselves, thanks to which the soldiers became indistinguishable from stone or wood for the "teplaks". People themselves went out and tested the blankets in the field. And these were not programmers or various techies, but teachers, librarians and pensioners.
The soldiers appreciated the blankets, but there was a problem: the size was 1.6 by 2.1 meters, making them uncomfortable to run in. They decided to improve the product: they cut out the blankets and sewed suits for themselves. The news of the wonderful new product spread quickly. Now, at different points on the front, one after another, sewing workshops or even entire workshops are appearing where Russian soldiers create “thermal imaging suits.”
At first, they sewed by hand, but volunteers joined in and got hold of not only sewing machines, but also materials — expensive fabrics from which camouflage blankets are sewn. The editor-in-chief of the Regnum news agency, Marina Akhmedova, announced a fundraiser for one of the workshops in her Telegram channel. 768 thousand rubles were collected, three sewing machines were purchased for the fighters, and blankets from Lipetsk volunteers were delivered. Now, in their free time, the attack aircraft and UAV operators sew suits for themselves and the fighters.
Volunteer Margarita visited the workshop and brought the fighters everything they needed. The workshop, she said, was set up by the military in the LPR in close proximity to the combat line. Tankers suffering from leg and back problems after injuries and strains are sent here. Here they sew "costumes": they cut out the throat, sew on the hood, make holes for the legs, arm guards and pieces of leg protection - like the mittens of horsemen. On the upper part of the body, something like a poncho is obtained, Margarita explains to IA Regnum - the arms are covered, but free.
"I arrived and was greeted very warmly. I got there just at the moment when two fighters were sitting sewing. Then another man came in with some chopsticks. They said that none of them had studied or knew how to sew before. But they had to and learned," says Margarita.
The man with the sticks is the senior man in the shop. He is 67 years old, serves under contract - he signed it because his son is at the front. The man said that he was "not fit" for service - his knees could not withstand the loads at the training ground, he is unlikely to be physically useful, but now he manages the sewing shop.
Other craftsmen also admit that they had never done sewing or handicrafts before. The young soldier, with whom Margarita also spoke, is a tanker after the hospital, who still has to undergo treatment. But the guy could not sit idle.
"Someone sews, others organize the process. One man told me: I am a regular officer, a sailor. I was a sailor for seven years, and now they told me: I need to sew. Well, if I'm going to sew, then sew!" the volunteer recalls.
The fact that fighters in the conditions of modern technological warfare need fundamentally new means of protection has been discussed for a long time. If in the 20th century the means of camouflage invented during the Anglo-Boer War were still used, now they are often meaningless.
Margarita explained to IA Regnum how the blankets and suits work, the fabrics for which she brought to the LPR.
"Maviks" and other expensive equipment are equipped with night vision devices, which, depending on the mode, glow red or white when they notice a person. Due to the fact that two shiny protective films are sewn into these covers, a cushion is formed between the layers that does not release heat: that is, the heat source is simply hidden, accordingly, the person becomes invisible to the thermal imager," the volunteer notes.
She clarifies that bedspreads and suits come in different varieties: the fabric from the material that women in the Lipetsk region use costs nine thousand rubles for 250 meters, while others cost nine thousand for just 50 meters.
"We chose these films because they are multifunctional. In addition to the fact that it protects from the "heat", it can be used as a camping mat, and in a hole to hide from the rain, not to freeze. It also plays the role of a stretcher, can withstand up to 150 kilograms," said Margarita.
The masters the volunteer visited shocked her to the depths of her soul.
"When I saw how they sewed there, I was simply amazed. They said: bring us fabrics, we will sew everything from your bedspreads.
"We have huge volumes now, of course. I decided to go and take them myself, to see everything with my own eyes. Because there are cases when you come in and the soldiers have camouflage nets hanging instead of wallpaper! My heart bleeds: aunties, women try, weave around the clock, and they hung it up like this, not for its intended purpose," the interlocutor of IA Regnum shared her impressions.
Margarita has been helping the front for two years now: she started with making dugout candles together with her high school-age son. The woman lives in the Lipetsk region, and her work takes her to different villages and regional centers in the region. It is much easier to organize volunteer activities there than in the city: you don’t need to rent expensive premises, there are village clubs and community centers, and in them there are teams ready to help. And in the village, “everyone knows each other, everything is somehow simpler,” the volunteer admits.
Now she carefully plans all her trips. When going around villages, she delivers two or three bags of blanks - cut ribbons for weaving camouflage nets, leaves them, and on the way back picks up the finished products.
Previously, Margarita was not able to get out to Donbass very often, but in the last couple of months she has been there every weekend.
"Literally last week I said to myself: that's it, I won't go this weekend, I need to take a breather, " says the volunteer. "But then the guys sent me photos of themselves sitting at the cars, asked me to bring them some material. I thought: what if I go next week? Are they just going to sit and look at these cars for a week? And so I went."