Telnyashka
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The telnyashka (, ) or telnik () is a horizontally striped
undershirt An undershirt in American English (vest in British and South African English, banyan in the Indian Subcontinent, or singlet in Australia and New Zealand), is an article of underwear worn underneath a dress shirt so as to protect it from body s ...
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 a number of other colors are also in use. The garment comes in varying thicknesses and may be sleeved or sleeveless.


Technical details

The uniforms of Russia's Naval, Airborne and Naval Infantry personnel do not include conventional collared
shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...
s. Open-fronted
jacket A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and ...
s of various designs make the distinctively striped telnyashka a conspicuous part of the clothing of branches of the Russian armed forces. Telnyashkas are also available to civilian customers and may come in a variety of knittings. Single-stranded knitting is the standard military-issue variant, but double- and quadruple-stranded knitting for increased warmth can be produced. A quadruple-stranded telnyashka is thick enough to keep the wearer warm with nothing else on, even at , as it was originally developed to be worn by military divers under a
dry suit A dry suit or drysuit provides the wearer with environmental protection by way of thermal insulation and exclusion of water, and is worn by underwater diving, divers, boating, boaters, List of water sports, water sports enthusiasts, and others wh ...
.


History

The Russian telnyashka originated in the distinctive striped '' marinière'' blouse worn by merchant sailors and fishermen of
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, who adopted this style to distinguish them from other sea-going nationalities. The fashion was later adopted and popularized by the
French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...
and other navies of the
pre-dreadnought Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built from the mid- to late- 1880s to the early 1900s. Their designs were conceived before the appearance of in 1906 and their classification as "pre-dreadnought" is retrospectively appl ...
era. Sailors of the modern French Navy still wear these garments in certain orders of dress. The
Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...
adopted the blue and white striped telnyashka blouse during the 19th century. The tradition of Russian or Soviet ground troops wearing a naval uniform comes from
Soviet Navy The Soviet Navy was the naval warfare Military, uniform service branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy made up a large part of the Soviet Union's strategic planning in the event of a conflict with t ...
sailors who fought as shore units during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. It is exemplified by the famed Soviet sniper Vassili Zaitsev, a
petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...
in the
Soviet Pacific Fleet The Pacific Fleet () is the Russian Navy fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Established in 1731 as part of the Imperial Russian Navy, the fleet was known as the Okhotsk Military Flotilla (1731–1856) and Siberian Military Flotilla (1856–1918), f ...
who volunteered for army duty, but refused to give up his telnyashka because of the pride it engendered. Vasily Margelov, who was later to modernize the
Soviet Airborne Forces The Soviet Airborne Forces or VDV (from ''Vozdushno- desantnye voyska SSSR'', Russian: Воздушно-десантные войска СССР, ВДВ; Air-landing Forces) was a separate troops branch of the Soviet Armed Forces. First formed b ...
(VDV), had previously served with a Naval Infantry unit in World War II, and procured telnyashkas for the VDV as a mark of their elite status.


Use in the Russian military

Although the blue and white striped telnyashka is the best-known, other colors are in use. The colored telnyashka stripes usually match the beret, except for the Marines, who have a blue striped shirt and black beret.


Blue and white stripes

*
Russian Navy The Russian Navy is the Navy, naval arm of the Russian Armed Forces. It has existed in various forms since 1696. Its present iteration was formed in January 1992 when it succeeded the Navy of the Commonwealth of Independent States (which had i ...
: The telnyashka was first worn by the 19th century
Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...
and has been worn by Russian sailors ever since. ** Russian marines, PDSS and submarine crewmen: As branches of the Navy they wear the blue and white telnyashka with their dress uniform, but in the field they use a black and white striped variant. ** The maritime service of the Border Troops follows the traditions of the Navy, including its ranks and the telnyashka. * Russian Airborne Troops (VDV). Introduced by General Vasily Margelov. to the displeasure of Admiral
Sergey Gorshkov Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (; 26 February 1910 – 13 May 1988) was an admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union. Twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he oversaw the expansion of the Soviet Navy into a global force during the Cold ...
. **
GRU Gru is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the ''Despicable Me'' film series. Gru or GRU may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Gru (rapper), Serbian rapper * Gru, an antagonist in '' The Kine Saga'' Organizations Georgia (c ...
Spetsnaz SpetsnazThe term is borrowed from rus, спецназ, p=spʲɪtsˈnas; abbreviation for or 'Special Purpose Military Units'; or () are special forces in many post-Soviet states. Historically, this term referred to the Soviet Union's Spet ...
: Military intelligence special forces often wear VDV uniforms including the blue telnyashka. ** KGB Border Troops airborne units use VDV insignia and uniform *
Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation СБ, ФСБ России (FSB) is the principal security agency of Russia and the main successor agency to the Soviet Union's KGB; its immediate predecessor was the Federal Counterin ...
spetsnaz units and the
Kremlin Regiment The Kremlin Regiment (), also called the Presidential Regiment (), is a unique military regiment and part of the Russian Federal Protective Service (Russia), Federal Protective Service with the status of a special unit. The regiment ensures the s ...
of the Federal Protective Service wear
cornflower blue Cornflower blue is a shade of medium-to-light blue containing relatively little green. This hue was one of the favorites of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The most valuable blue sapphires are called cornflower blue, having a medium-da ...
telnyashkas as part of their uniform. * KGB and FSB officers in military counter-intelligence roles wear the same color as that of the unit that they are assigned to.


Green and white stripes

* Border Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation follow the traditions of their
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
predecessor and wear the green telnyashka (except for its maritime and airborne units). Green is also used by the Border Troops of Belarus.


Red and white stripes

* The
National Guard of Russia The Federal Service of Troops of National Guard of the Russian Federation (), officially known as the (),#Official website, Official website is a federal executive body which is responsible for law enforcement, internal security, counter-terro ...
(''Rosgvardiya'') wear dark red and white striped telnyashkas with dark red berets, as did its predecessor, the Interior Troops.


Orange and white stripes

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations wears an orange and white striped telnyashka, introduced by
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 ...
when he was its Minister. The Ministry is mostly in charge of civil defence and firefighters and uses army-style ranks.


In other countries

The Bulgarian 68th Special Forces Brigade uses the telnyashka as part of its uniform. Sailors of the Cuban Revolutionary Navy wear telnyashkas with blue stripes as part of their uniform. The Korean People's Army Navy also uses them with their uniforms. File:Миттєвості підготовки до параду. Проходження військовослужбоців ЗС України (26501516264).jpg, Ukrainian paratroopers in 2015. At the time, they wore sky-blue berets and telnyashkas similar to those of their Russian counterparts. File:Chinese_sailors_qingdao.jpg, Sailors of the Chinese
People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...
, wearing a striped shirt similar to the Telnyashka. File:Victory Day Parade 2008-8.jpg, Russian marines parade in navy blue dress uniform, with a matching navy blue telnyashka.


In popular culture

The Soviet 1936 film '' The Sailors of Kronstadt'' started aestheticization of telnyashka with a scene of a
Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...
sailor emerging from the sea in his torn undershirt after surviving an attempted execution by drowning. The telnyashka is worn by a number of popular non-military characters of cinema and children's
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
s, notably The Wolf in '' Nu, pogodi'' and Matroskin the Cat in '' Troe iz Prostokvashino''. The telnyashka is worn by members of various factions in the 2019 video game Metro Exodus. Telnyashkas serve as part of the "image" and the attire of the art group Mitki. In the 2010 video game, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Lev Kravchenko, the secondary antagonist can be seen wearing a telnyashka under his jacket, other characters such as Viktor Reznov can be seen wearing this outfit on his assault on Rebirth Island with Alex Mason. Mason himself is depicted as wearing this outfit when it is revealed that Viktor Reznov is actually dead, and that any depiction of Reznov prior was actually of Mason. In the 2019 video game '' Call of Duty: Modern Warfare'', a Russian soldier, J-12, is portrayed wearing a sleeveless telnyashka under a tactical ammo vest during Farah Karim's flashback of the Russian invasion of Urzikstan. Other Russian characters such as General Roman Barkov, Sergeant Kamarov as well as Multiplayer operative Maxim "Minotaur" Bale can also be seen wearing blue telnyashkas with the former two wearing it beneath their uniforms. Other Campaign character, Chimera operative "Nikolai", wears a dark telnyashka shirt as part of his Multiplayer skins. There is a popular saying: "We are few in number, but we are in telnyashkas!" (), alluding to the reputation of troops who wear the shirt as ferocious warriors."«Нас мало, но мы в тельняшках». История морской рубахи в России"
'' Arguments and Facts''


See also

*
Sailor suit A sailor suit is a uniform that originated in the United Kingdom, traditionally worn by enlisted seamen in a navy or other governmental sea services. It later developed into a popular clothing style for children, especially as dress clothes a ...


References


External links

* Presidential Decree N 921 of 28.08.2006 (http://lawrussia.ru/texts/legal_739/doc739a408x944.htm) * Zaitsev, Vassili. ''Notes of a Russian Sniper''. Trans. David Givens, Peter Kornakov, Konstantin Kornakov. Ed. Neil Orkent. Los Angeles: 2826 Press Inc., 2003. {{Russian souvenirs, state="expanded" 20th-century fashion Culture of the Soviet Union Russian clothing Russian Navy Soviet Army Soviet military uniforms Soviet Navy