Kathrine Frich
As winter approaches, the brutal cold in Ukraine is becoming another battle for Russian troops to endure.
Now, the Arctic city of Salekhard has stepped in with an unusual form of aid, one rooted in centuries of Siberian tradition.
Arctic aid shipment
Authorities in Salekhard, a city on the Arctic Circle, have sent 2,000 reindeer skins to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
The city hall said the shipment is meant to help protect troops not only from freezing temperatures but also from detection by Ukrainian drones.
“These are not only warm items, but also vital elements for camouflage and heating,” officials said in a statement, they added:
“The skins,excellently mask our defense positions from enemy thermal cameras and reliably warm soldiers in harsh field conditions.”
A city at the edge of the world
Salekhard, home to about 50,000 people, lies more than 2,400 kilometers east of Moscow.
It serves as the administrative center of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region, an area known for its reindeer herding and frigid winters.
Local media report that at least 42 residents from the city, and nearly 400 from the wider region, have died since the war began.
Despite the toll, regional authorities continue to provide supplies and support for Russian troops deployed to the front.
Shortages on the front
The shipment of reindeer hides highlights deeper supply problems faced by Russia’s army.
According to The Moscow Times, soldiers are being issued outdated medical equipment, including supplies dating back to 1977, from the era of Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.
A pro-war blogger revealed boxes of decades-old bandages, cotton, and dressings still in use, calling it a “systemic problem” within the Russian military’s logistics.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, which may have used AI in the preparation
