The EMR () or Universal Camouflage Colorway in English,
is a
military camouflage
Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an Military, armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including ...
pattern in use by the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
. It is sometimes referred to by the unofficial nicknames RUSPAT,
Tetris
''Tetris'' () is a puzzle video game created in 1985 by Alexey Pajitnov, a Soviet software engineer. In ''Tetris'', falling tetromino shapes must be neatly sorted into a pile; once a horizontal line of the game board is filled in, it disa ...
,
Tsifra and Digital Flora. EMR camouflage is the standard camouflage pattern of the Russian Military's
V.K.B.O. All-Season Uniform.
EMR is a single camouflage pattern, developed at 15 Central Research Institute of the
Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...
as a universal pattern. Depending on the color palette, it can be adapted to a variety of terrain conditions with good camouflage properties. It was the main pattern of the
Ratnik combat system.
The
Armed Forces of Belarus
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are the military forces of Belarus. It consists of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. As a landlocked country, Belarus has ...
uses it as their standard camouflage. However, it is believed that it uses a slightly different pattern.
The EMR has also been adopted by a number of Russian-backed
partially-recognized statelets,
militias
A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or serve ...
, and
paramilitary
A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934.
Overview
Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...
forces.
History
The camouflage appeared in 2008
after a fundamental decision was made to change
Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
. Initially, it was assumed that since "
Flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
" roughly corresponds to the American
Woodland
A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...
, which in the
US Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. U.S. federal law names six armed forces: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and the Coast Guard. Since 1949, all of the armed forces, except ...
was changed to
digital camouflages, then the Russian Armed Forces should keep up with this process. Full-scale adoption began in 2011.
The creation of the EMR was heavily influenced by the German
Flecktarn
''Flecktarn'' (; "mottled camouflage"; also known as ''Flecktarnmuster'' or ''Fleckentarn'') is a family of three-, four-, five- or six-color disruptive camouflage patterns, the most common being the five-color pattern, consisting of dark gree ...
camouflage,
the developers of which managed to "combine the incompatible": small spots that perform an imitation function are combined in this color scheme so that they form groups of large spots that perform a deforming function.
The developers of EMR followed the same path, taking into account the results of studies that showed the effectiveness of extremely small ("pixel") spots as constituent elements of the texture pattern.
In 2016, Russian troops in Syria were reported to be wearing a desert variant of the EMR.
It was reported in 2017 that Russian soldiers in the
National Guard
National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
...
would discontinue using EMR and instead, use Izlom or Moss-based camouflage patterns instead.
The EMR uniform kit is also used for some ceremonial purposes . However, significant variations not covered by the official uniform code exist when used for ceremonial purposes including; white parade gloves, white leather buckled parade belts, white aiguillettes, coloured branch shoulder boards, branch-distinctive lapel badges, pressed-collar buttoned jackets as opposed to the zipper jacket used in the standard uniform kit, berets used as the main headdress as opposed to caps or peaked caps.
Occasionally
jackboots
A jackboot is a military boot such as the cavalry jackboot or the hobnailed jackboot. The hobnailed jackboot has a different design and function from the former type. It is a combat boot designed for marching. It rises to mid-calf or higher with ...
are issued for foot columns and colour guards wearing EMR. Other variations, such as office uniforms, by different manufacturers, such as Splav, not covered by the official uniform code are tolerated.
Design
The basic uniform is as follows:
* The straight cut jacket has a standing collar, is closed by a central zipper, has two breast patch pockets with flaps with hidden button closures, the back has two vertical pleats, there are patch pockets on the upper sleeves with large velcro patches (earlier versions did not have the velcro patches), the sleeves have elbow pads. The bottom of the sleeves have adjustment tabs. The jacket can be worn tucked into or outside the trousers.
* the straight cut
combat trousers
Cargo pants or cargo trousers, also sometimes called combat pants or combat trousers after their original purpose as military workwear, are loosely cut pants originally designed for rough work environments and outdoor activities, distinguished b ...
have a one-piece waistband with seven belt loops and are closed by a button and a zipper. The trousers have two side slash pockets and there are large pleated patch pockets with flaps on the outside thighs. The pocket openings are angled for easier access. The back of the trousers have slash and flap pockets with flaps closed by a hidden button. The trousers have reinforcing pads in the knees while there is an extra layer of fabric in the seat.
Several variations of this pattern have been produced, they are as follows:
* Summer is a pixelated version of black, brown, and dark green pixels on a light green background.
* "Desert" is a desert version with beige, darkish beige and brown pixels on a sandy background.
* Sever is an arctic camo with light gray and dark gray pixels on a white background.
* "City" is an urban version of it.
Full-scale adoption began in 2011.
According to
TsNIITochMash
TsNIITochMash () is a Russian industrial design bureau which is a major designer and producer of weapons for the Russian military and MVD National Guard. The name is an initialism for Central Scientific - Research Institute for Precision Machin ...
, the fabric used in EMR is
waterproof
Waterproofing is the process of making an object, person or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resists the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet env ...
,
flame-proof, tear-resistant and
breathable
Moisture vapor transmission rate (MVTR), also water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), is a measure of the passage of water vapor through a substance. It is a measure of the permeation, permeability for vapor barriers.
There are many industries where ...
.
It is reported that EMR camouflage fabrics have been made in China due to it being cheap. Depending on the manufacturer, there may be other EMR pattern variants.
File:Desert E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Armed Forces.png, Desert
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...
variant of E.M.R. used by the Russian troops in Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
.
File:E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Armed Forces of Belarus.png, Belarus
Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...
ian variant used by the Armed Forces of Belarus
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are the military forces of Belarus. It consists of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. As a landlocked country, Belarus has ...
, which uses different colours compared to the russian E.M.R. camouflage.
File:Russian Armed Forces EMR patten.png, « Standard » summer
Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...
pattern used predominantly by default in the Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
.
File:Arctic E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Armed Forces.png, Arctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
variant of E.M.R. camouflage used by the russian troops of the Leningrad Military District
The Order of Lenin Leningrad Military District () is a military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010, it was merged with the Moscow Military District, the Northern ...
in its arctic/snowy territories.
File:« Green men » E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Armed Forces.png, « Green men » old and first version of E.M.R. camouflage pattern used for the first time during the Russian annexation of Crimea by the Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
., alt=« Green men » old and first version of E.M.R. camouflage pattern used for the first time during the Russian annexation of crimea by the russian troops.
File:E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Ministry of the Interior (M.V.D.).png, Urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
E.M.R. camouflage used by the troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation (MVD; , ''Ministerstvo vnutrennikh del'') is the interior ministry of Russia.
The MVD is responsible for law enforcement in Russia through its agencies the Police of Russia, Migratio ...
.
File:Spring E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Armed Forces.png, Spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...
variant of the E.M.R. camouflage used on the obverse side of the 6sh122 oversuit by the Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
.
File:Autumn E.M.R. camouflage pattern of the Russian Armed Forces.png, Autumn
Autumn, also known as fall (especially in US & Canada), is one of the four temperate seasons on Earth. Outside the tropics, autumn marks the transition from summer to winter, in September (Northern Hemisphere) or March ( Southern Hemisphe ...
variant of the E.M.R. camouflage pattern used on the back side of the 6sh122 oversuit by the Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
.
Users

* :
Armed Forces of Belarus
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus are the military forces of Belarus. It consists of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence. As a landlocked country, Belarus has ...
, with slightly different color scheme.
They were first seen with paratroopers from the 38th Airmobile Brigade.
* : EMR clones adopted by
Belize Defense Force in October 2011 to replace their non-digital camouflage uniforms.
* : Adopted by the
Russian Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...
to replace Flora camouflage uniforms.
**
[ARES Research Report No.3: Raising Red Flags: An Examination of Arms & Munitions in the Ongoing Conflict in Ukraine (2014)](_blank)
/ref>
**
* : Used by the Tajik Army.
Partially-recognized states
*
*
*
Former
* : Used by Republican Guard
A republican guard, sometimes called a national guard, is a state organization of a country (often a republic, hence the name ''Republican'') which typically serves to protect the head of state and the government, and thus is often synonymous wit ...
and special forces.25th SMF Div. member in full desert camouflage
/ref>
Gallery
Russia
File:Sergei Shoigu checked the weapons storage in Omsk - June 2023 18.jpg, Sergei Shoigu
Sergei Kuzhugetovich Shoigu; , . (born 21 May 1955) is a Russian politician and military officer who has served as secretary of the Security Council since 2024. He served as Minister of Defence of Russia from 2012 to 2024. Shoigu has served a ...
(In the middle), who served as Minister of Defence
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...
until 2024, wearing an office uniform in EMR
File:Russiansoldiers-StP1.jpg, Russian soldiers wearing the older EMR pattern
File:ISSE2014-48.jpg, Display of the EMR combat uniform
File:NBCExercise2018-04.jpg, Russian soldier training in their Ratnik combat gear, an AK-12
The AK-12 (Russian: ''"Avtomat Kalashnikova, 2012"'' – GRAU index 6P70) is a Russian Gas-operated reloading, gas-operated assault rifle chambered in 5.45×39mm, designed and manufactured by Kalashnikov Concern (formerly Izhmash), making it the ...
rifle and PMK-4 gas mask
File:FrogmenExercise2017-01.jpg, Russian commando frogmen
The Russian commando frogmen (), informally called "commando frogmen" in civilian media, are a Russian Naval Spetsnaz unit under operational subordination to the GRU (Russian Federation), GRU that specialized in amphibious reconnaissance to prepa ...
conducting training exercises
File:Demining of Palmyra 2017 03.jpg, Russian sapper
A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...
s in Palmyra
Palmyra ( ; Palmyrene dialect, Palmyrene: (), romanized: ''Tadmor''; ) is an ancient city in central Syria. It is located in the eastern part of the Levant, and archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first menti ...
, Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
. Soldier on the left is wearing the desert variant of EMR camouflage
File:Demining of Palmyra 2017 14.jpg, Close view of desert EMR
File:NorthFleet287Old-01.jpg, Soldiers of the 80th Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade
The 80th Separate Arctic Motor Rifle Brigade ''(80-я отдельная мотострелковая бригада)'' (Military Unit Number: 34667) is a specialist arctic warfare formation of the Coastal Troops of the Russian Navy formed in 2014. ...
wearing the Arctic
The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...
pattern EMR
Belarus
File:2020 Belarusian protests — Minsk, 30 August p0056.jpg, Belarusian soldiers with EMR uniforms during the 2020 Belarusian protests
File:Dmitry Medvedev 29 September 2009-3.jpg, President of Belarus
The president of the Republic of Belarus is the head of state of Belarus. The office was created in 1994 with the passing of the Constitution of Belarus by the Supreme Council of Belarus, Supreme Council. This replaced the office of Supreme_Counc ...
Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (also transliterated as Alyaksandr Ryhoravich Lukashenka; born 30 August 1954) is a Belarusian politician who has been the first and only president of Belarus since the office's establishment in 1994, making hi ...
wearing an EMR uniform in a meeting with President of Russia
The president of Russia, officially the president of the Russian Federation (), is the executive head of state of Russia. The president is the chair of the State Council (Russia), Federal State Council and the President of Russia#Commander-in-ch ...
Dmitry Medvedev
Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician and lawyer who has served as Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia since 2020. Medvedev was also President of Russia between 2008 and 2012 and Prime Mini ...
in 2009
Belize
File:BDF troops at attention.jpg, Belize Defence Force
The Belize Defence Force (BDF) is the military of Belize, and is responsible for protecting the sovereignty of the country. The BDF is under the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, which is currently headed by Hon. Florencio Marin ...
soldiers in a ceremony
Tajikistan
File:240418-A-WD109-005.jpg, Tajik Soldier with SVD wearing an EMR uniform
Donbas
File:2016-05-05. Репетиция парада к Дню Победы в Донецке 012.jpg, Marines of the Mariupol-Khingan Naval Infantry of the DPR People's Militia
Russian separatist forces in Ukraine, primarily the People's Militias of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), were pro-Russian paramilitaries in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. They were under the o ...
with EMR uniforms, wearing iconic telnyashka
The telnyashka (, ) or telnik () is a horizontally striped undershirt worn as uniform by Russian military personnel. It has stripes in white and in a color that varies according to the unit's affiliation. The most common second color is blue, but ...
s thereunder.
File:2016-05-09. День Победы в Донецке 216.jpg, Sparta Battalion
The Sparta Battalion () or 80th Separate Guards Reconnaissance Battalion "Sparta" named after A. S. Pavlov (; MUN 08806) is a special purpose unit of the Russian Armed Forces. Until 2023, the unit was part of Russian people's militia military u ...
soldier wears an EMR uniform and a Ribbon of Saint George
The ribbon of Saint George (also known as Saint George's ribbon, the Georgian ribbon; ; and the Guards ribbon in Soviet context) is a Russian military symbol consisting of a black and orange bicolour pattern, with three black and two orange stri ...
during the 2016 Victory Day parade in Donetsk.
File:2014-12-20. Праздник солидарности 069 (cropped).jpg, Head of the Donetsk People's Republic
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...
Alexander Zakharchenko
Alexander Vladimirovich Zakharchenko (26 June 1976 – 31 August 2018) was a Ukrainian separatist leader who was the Russia-installed head of state and prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic, a self-proclaimed state and Russian-backed ...
with EMR fatigues
File:Передача трофейной украинской техники и вооружения подразделениям ЛНР 013.png, Separatist troops with EMR uniforms during the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
in 2022
See also
* Uniforms of the Russian Armed Forces
The extensive system of uniforms of the Russian Armed Forces was inherited from the Soviet Armed Forces and modified across the years.
Traditionally, the military uniforms of the Russian Armed Forces have been subdivided into Full dress uni ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{Camouflage
Military equipment of Russia
Camouflage patterns
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s