30 December 2015. He’s in the Army Now!

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The “K” on the young man’s shoulder straps signify that he’s an officer cadet (“Kursant” in Russian)… an obvious PhotoShop, but fun nonetheless…

BMD

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12 August 2014. A Photo Essay… There be GOOD EATS in the Russian Army!

They’re cookin’ up goulash, borshch, and kasha… the soldiers say that the enemy could tell their positions by the yummy smell (it spreads for metres around).

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A KP-30 field kitchen cooks meals for 30 guys.

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“I’m not a chef! I’m a COOK!” thundered Senior Cook-Instructor Vitaly Razamazov. For 15 years, he’s fed the crew of the Guards cruiser Varyag. He made his famous pea soup, stewed meat with kasha, and compote.

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Submariners get special rations, which include red wine and caviar. All ships on extended deployment receive additional allotments of kolbasa and meat.

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It only took five minutes! The cook decorated this vinagret with rosettes of carrot and pickles.

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Now, that borshch with salo… that’s GOOD EATS!

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Russian rations have 4,000 calories per day, the largest in the world.

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The standard bill of fare includes over 200 items… it includes Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, and Georgian national foods.

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However, the staff of life is still bread… and army bakers can still bake it under field conditions.

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Of course, the troops bitch and moan about the food (all good soldiers do)… they call it “Belka and Strelka” (two Sov dogs shot into space… it’s a Russian way of saying Ken-L-Ration). Nonetheless, they chow it down, and most of it is objectively good (just like the US mess halls… they do put out high-quality stuff… just pop in on Thanksgiving and find out).

BMD

Adapted from a piece in Komsomolskaya Pravda http://msk.kp.ru/daily/26266/3144635/