A plan to replace Soviet-era Russian military uniforms with ones by a leading fashion designer has been abandoned because of a lack of money.
The plan to bring in the new uniforms, designed by Valentin Yudashkin, was supported by Russian PM Vladimir Putin.
There is now only enough money to pay for uniforms for soldiers taking part in the forthcoming Victory Day parade.
Everyone else, it seems, will remain in the rather drab olive shades Russia inherited from the former Soviet Union.
‘Less frumpy’
On Friday, Senator Viktor Ozerov, chairman of Russian Federation Council committee on defence and security, told the radio station Ekho Moskvy that the army knew what to spend money on – and that new uniforms were not a priority.
