Russian military to change headdresses

13.04.2011 Russian military servicemen will receive new headdresses – berets – since spring 2011, reports Interfax referring to a source in defense ministry. Berets currently used in few branches will replace traditional garrison caps all across Russian Armed Forces.

Servicemen of Russian Army will wear green berets, Navy – black berets (previously worn only by marines), Air Force – blue berets, Airborne – azure berets (just like at present).

According to the interviewee, all participants of the Victory Day Parade on May 9 will wear berets instead of garrison caps.

It should be noted that green berets to be put on Army servicemen were previously worn only by frontiersmen. The right to wear such colors was given after passing special drills or some military merits.

Berets are widely popular in different armies as the basic headdress. Also, some kinds of berets are used as awards, for example, maroon ones. Garrison cap has been the basic summer headdress in Russian/Soviet Armed Forces.