Yana Kozina, founder of the volunteer group “ZOV 32: maskseti” (Bryansk):
— When our group launched production, we tried to learn from experience from all over Russia. Today we have 12 workshops created in Bryansk, thousands of people of different ages are involved in the work. In addition to those who directly weave the nets, the team includes people who help financially or bring material.
Each camouflage covering is the result of manual labor. For its production, a del - a mesh made of nylon threads - is purchased. We cut it to the required size, wrap it with cord with loops for fastening and stretch it onto the loom. After this, we weave camouflage fabric or spunbond (thin non-woven material made from polypropylene fiber. -
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) of the desired shade into it.
Our group also produces nets for any equipment, dugouts, shelters, as well as camouflage fabrics 1.5 × 2 m for special forces and intelligence officers.
To protect military equipment from drones, ZOV 32: Masknet specialists use chain-link, which is covered with a camouflage net on top: it does not shine in the sun and does not attract attention, since before shipping it is soaked in a special solution and made matte. Depending on the season, the camouflage on the chain-link can be green or brown. Sometimes, when changing from autumn to winter, fighters don’t even take off the chain-link, because under the fallen snow it looks more realistic.
The iron mesh with camouflage manufactured by us is installed at the discretion of the military. It happens that the guys at the front use networks in a very unusual way. For example, sometimes they set up false positions, deliberately installing a camouflage network that does not correspond to the time of year. By forcing the enemy to hit it, they discover enemy artillery crews. For example, near Donetsk about a year ago, with the help of our decoy nets, soldiers destroyed an M777 howitzer.
Another area of our work is the production of individual suits.
The “Leshy” and “Kikimora” disguises, which are used by scouts and snipers, are made specifically for each fighter, taking into account his tasks and terrain.
We select fabric that does not melt under hot cartridges; in addition, we use material that is moisture-resistant and will not rot under field conditions.
Weaving a winter camouflage net by volunteers of the group “ZOV 32: camouflage nets”
Igor Sushilin, coordinator of the workshop “Masketi Ekaterinburg Z” of the all-Russian movement “TeploZOV”:
— Our birthday is October 23, 2022. We started with ten people who weaved at home, and now we have grown to several hundred volunteers and 19 workshops in Yekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region. Various people help with the work, from schoolchildren to retirees.
Making high-quality camouflage nets is a whole science. And the volunteer movement in Russia, which deals with them, has actually turned into a professional community in two years.
Before being sent to the front, the networks undergo tests that simulate a theater of war, where there are many drones and thermal imagers.
In addition, fighters in the air defense zone, along with camouflage equipment, receive additional instructions on tactics of use.
The products themselves are also being improved. Our Yekaterinburg partners, sewing production technologists, have developed the Leshy camouflage suit, in which a sniper is invisible to the enemy’s thermal imager for several hours. As far as I know, the prototype has already been tested in the Northern Military District zone and serial production of the model will begin in one of the workshops in the near future.
As for group camouflage, we have many ready-made solutions for various tasks, from dugouts to artillery. The last one is the most difficult. According to the Ministry of Defense standard, one set of MKT (service camouflage kit. -
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) for camouflaging equipment is comparable in size to 12 of our 3 × 6 m networks. You can link them into one, but it will take up a lot of space during transportation. Therefore, we send it to customers in parts. And on the spot, the guys easily sew the nets into one big one and cover the gun.
Tank in camouflage nets from the Maskset Ekaterinburg Z workshop
© Commonwealth "St. George's Bees"
As a rule, equipment is camouflaged in two ways: during long-term parking, a special canopy is created over tanks or infantry fighting vehicles, imitating the surrounding landscape, and during combat work, a protective coating is applied directly to the vehicles, due to which they are invisible in the foliage or in the field.
Valeriana Sergeeva, coordinator of the group “Disguise for YOURSELF” (Moscow and Moscow region):
— Our group was formed in October 2022. Volunteers weaved camouflage nets at home, and in a general chat they exchanged experiences and tips on how to do it. Then an operational headquarters appeared in Moscow - all the material that we cut and distribute to points in the capital and region began to be brought there. Now we continue to weave using a unified method. The work is organized in such a way that from networks made by different people, it is possible to assemble united parties and then send them to the front.
We have about 400 weavers, these people work collectively and at home. True, there are some problems with personnel. In Moscow, given its huge area, we really lack curators - weaving specialists who can teach, explain, and conduct a master class. But it is not always possible to gather volunteers at one time, especially since many prefer to weave at home so as not to drive through traffic jams and waste time.
We select the material and colors based on the requests of the military. During cold weather, the surface of the earth on the line of combat contact is not always white, and in summer it is not necessarily green, if we are talking about the southern Russian steppes. Therefore, there is a different color palette for each landscape and season. For example, for winter there are nets in white, gray, yellowish-beige and brown shades.
We mainly work with spunbond, producing canvases with two-color shades that can be successfully mixed in a camouflage style, with spots and streaks.
If an order comes for a protective coating for a tank, we make a flat weave camouflage that visually resembles the standard networks of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Tests of our networks have shown that from 60 m the drone operator cannot distinguish between camouflage on equipment and trenches. We make individual suits, helmets, and camouflage cloaks for snipers, artillery spotters, and drone operators.
Camouflage network
Natalya Tsareva, co-organizer of the St. George's Bees community (Tomsk):
— In the fall of 2022, we created the first project in Tomsk for the mass weaving of camouflage nets. Many caring people responded to our call to help the front, and the administration of the village of Zonal Station (south-eastern outskirts of Tomsk -
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) allocated premises for work.
Since then, we have thoroughly mastered the entire technology of manufacturing both camouflage nets and individual protective suits and managed to open more than ten workshops throughout the Tomsk region. At the end of September 2023, our product “Autumn Will Cover” took first place in a competition held by the volunteer association “Maskseti. Workshop" with the support of manufacturers of materials for camouflage nets.
Our volunteers are amazing people, many of them are of Soviet origin. They join the ranks of our community to feel involved in a common cause and contribute to supporting the army.
Our main task is to initially create networks that perfectly blend with the terrain. We strive to save the guys in the Northern Military District from the need to paint their nets with spray cans or use “natural decor” - branches and moss - to improve their camouflage qualities.
In this matter, of course, we are helped by the military themselves, who check our work at the training grounds. Our special pride is a sniper’s camouflage suit, made from mesh and jute thread. Thanks to the correct selection of colors, the sniper literally disappears into the foliage and remains unnoticed by the enemy.
For each landscape we use a special weave and shade. For example, for the Lugansk People's Republic, the color “dirty snow” and a flat technique that imitates snowdrifts and waves on the snow with gray stains are now suitable. By spring we will begin to produce a coating that is more reminiscent of khaki with green splashes, and in the summer - camouflage in different shades: from pine forest to yellowish grass in the steppe.
Camouflage fabric from the St. George's Bees community
© Workshop “Masketi Ekaterinburg Z”
One of the most labor-intensive, but at the same time necessary camouflage nets is imitation grass. At the beginning of work, the basis for any network is carefully processed. Then two thin green stripes are tied to the crosshairs in each cell. There are many tails left around the perimeter of the product, which we burn, and then wrap with cord and secure with a special thread.
Upon request, we can make any disguise, including for large vehicles. The networks are easily connected, which allows them to cover even the most extensive objects. But each network is the result of painstaking work, taking from one to three days, depending on the size and number of volunteers involved.