Boots, thick clothes, as well as toilet paper or rugs (for sleeping in the trenches) are just some of the products that are being collected these days in several Russian Telegram channels to be given to reservists who are being sent to the Ukrainian front. HotNews.ro’s correspondent followed these channels and we present you some examples of campaigns.

In several Telegram channels, special groups and chats have been created to collect money or items such as thick clothes, vests, helmets or hygiene products for Russian soldiers who are sent to fight in Ukraine.

These campaigns are not run by the military or any government agencies in the Russian Federation, but belong to accounts associated with private individuals or non-governmental organizations. The reports also do not explain why the Russian military cannot provide its soldiers with basic necessities.

In addition, several similar announcements have already appeared in Telegram channels, in which the mobilized are explained what needs to be obtained before entering the battlefield. The explanation and actual product list is long.

Note that, as a rule, these groups or individual announcements have the hashtag #ЗаНаших, which in Russian means “for ours”, where the first letter is “Z”, which is also on the military equipment of the Russians and on their uniforms.

For example, this post says that the military needs new shoes because the current ones don’t even look like military gear.

“Friends, we urgently need to provide five soldiers with normal shoes. Tomorrow morning we go shopping. You need five pairs. The price of a pair is approximately 5500 (No. – rubles, approximately 470 lei). Under these conditions, they break after a week. Let’s help the boys.” (bank details are indicated, where you can transfer money).

“Hi, thank you very much, I have raised money for shoes, but the boys need much more. There are 65 of them in total. So, if you want, you can buy something else and send it tomorrow morning, before 09:00, to Nizhny Novgorod, after that they will go. That’s how I understand that rugs are needed (it gets colder to sleep on the ground).”

There are also many advertisements that describe the list of hygiene products, medicines, as well as gas cylinders and other household items that are not in the Russian army, and again ask for the help of ordinary people. They are even asking for new military uniforms, helmets and camouflage nets.

“New request! Warm clothes (underpants, socks, underwear, towels, sheets) Hygiene (shampoo, toothbrushes and paste, razor blades, before and after shave cream, toilet paper, wet wipes)

Food products (canned meat and fish, noodles, candies, chocolate, tea, coffee)

Medicines (disinfectant solutions, anti-burn, antiviral, etc., vitamins)

Things for living in the fields (wood/electric stoves, 20-25 l kettle, generators, heat-insulating materials, shovels, saws, electric stoves + gas cylinders, axes, hammers, screwdrivers, nails, self-tapping screws, plates and bars.

Equipment (uniform, helmets, thermal glasses, tablets, flashlights, batteries, camouflage nets)”

“Good evening, please tell me where to get a military uniform?” The boys were given uniforms today and told that they will be cold in them. Here you can buy all the necessary clothes. By the way, I don’t know if they deliver to Bryansk (no – a city located approximately 370 kilometers from Moscow).”

There are also less common posts that the military does not need women’s clothes and underwear, but men’s, new or in very good condition.

“Also! What’s missing today or missing at all: Medicines (pain relievers, antibiotic pills, cold and flu dust, diarrhea, etc.) Hygiene (shampoo, toothpaste, shaving frames, wet wipes/towels, soap, foam shaving) Coffee!Cigarettes/lighters Gas stoves.

Guys, please! Do not donate used women’s clothing and shoes, panties or socks. The hospital (military – no) needs blankets, men’s sports suits, sweaters, T-shirts, shorts! This is it! Linen is new or in very good condition!

“We are often asked what we buy for boys? Friends, we buy everything from toilet paper, to uniforms and receiving station, tools, oils and even car tires.

Moreover, those who are mobilized these days after the decree signed by Putin are warned from the very beginning that they must think about their own comfort so as not to freeze from the very first hours at the front.

Yes, some Telegram channels present lists with a set of minimally necessary things for those who will go to war, and in some cases even soldiers talk about it in specially filmed videos.

“Information for the mobilized and their families. We understand that the armed forces will not give the fighters everything they need, but will give the minimum so that they do not die of hunger and cold and feel more or less comfortable. So we have to take the rest. And so in order, from head to toe (we choose the manufacturer according to the budget)”, – is conveyed in several similar messages.

It is explained to people that they will need thick clothes, several sets of underwear, sneakers, as well as protective equipment, helmets and even vests. The list is long and also includes medicines and hygiene products.

Several videos have also been published showing Russian soldiers with their faces covered and the letter “Z” thanking civilians for their help. For example, this serviceman claims that thanks to such support, he and his comrades can finally get warm from the generator.

• Read also: How did the Russians decide that they needed to go to war? Raid on Russian social networks: “Deputies, drunkards and drug addicts should be sent first. Leave the boys alone!!!”