Flora camouflage
{{Short description|Russian military camouflage}}
{{refimprove|date=February 2024}}
{{incomplete|Expand on history/design|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox military gear
|name=Flora camouflage
|image=File:Flora cam.jpg
|image_size=300
|caption=Flora camouflage pattern
|type=Military camouflage pattern
|origin=Russian Federation
|used_by=See Users
|wars=Second Chechen War
Russo-Georgian War
Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
War in Donbas
|service=1998-2011
}}
Flora (Russian: Флора, sometimes erroneously called VSR-98, which stands for Vooruzhennyye sily Rossii or Russian Armed Forces 1998.){{sfnp|Galeotti|2019|p=14}} is a military camouflage pattern formerly used by the Russian Armed Forces.
The pattern has some design similarities with the Butan and Tiger stripe camo.
History
File:Alexander Kolmakov receiving a report for duty – July 27, 2004.jpg forces (right), in Flora camouflage receiving a report from a soldier in Dubok camouflage. The soldier on the left and the troops in the background are wearing Zabralo armor in Barviha camouflage. 2004.]]
Flora came as a replacement for the "Barvikha" camouflage - the name of the R&D program. The pattern did not have an official name, so popular nicknames like "vertikalka" (vertical), berezka (birch), VSR-93 and so on appeared.{{Cite web |title=Флора (камуфляж) |url=https://voensovmag.ru/news/136-flora-kamuflyazh |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210710235125/https://voensovmag.ru/news/136-flora-kamuflyazh |archive-date=10 July 2021}}
Flora was adopted into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in 1998.{{cite web | url=https://camo.by/camo/ru/flora.html | title=Камуфляж Флора - Виды камуфляжа }}
The camo was last seen with so-called pro-Moscow Crimean auxiliaries during the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation{{sfnp|Galeotti|2019|pp=14-15}} and with some Russian troops in the War in Donbas.{{sfnp|Galeotti|2019|pp=32-33}}
Design
Flora is optimised for an environment typical of central Russia and is effective at silhouette dissolution.{{Cite web |title=Камуфляж - виды и расцветки стран мира {{!}} Интернет проект Я выживу |url=http://i-survive.ru/odejda1.html |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=i-survive.ru}} Because of the characteristic stripes, "Flora" was nicknamed "Arbuznyj" (watermelony; арбузный) camouflage.
The overall color scheme can vary widely depending on the fabric used by the manufacturer.{{Cite web |title=Russia - Camopedia |url=http://camopedia.org/index.php?title=Russia#Russian_Armed_Forces_.28VSR.29_Camouflage_Patterns |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=camopedia.org}}{{better source needed|date=February 2024}}
"Flora" consists of the green Flora pattern and the Mountain Flora pattern, which has dark yellow, sand or khaki color.{{cite web|url=https://kula-tactical.com/what-camo-does-russia-use|title=Russian Camo: what camouflage does Russia use?}}
Users
=Former=
- {{flag|Belarus}}: Replaced by EMR.{{cite web | url=https://camo.by/camo/ru/emr.html | title=Камуфляж ЕМР - Виды камуфляжа }}
- {{flag|Russia}}: Formerly used by all branches of Russian Armed Forces.https://kula-tactical.com/military-camouflage-patterns/russian-camouflages/flora-camo Replaced by EMR by 2011.https://web.archive.org/web/20150122121359/http://function.mil.ru/news_page/country/more.htm?id=10371371@egNews{{cite web | url=https://ufpro.com/blog/europes-official-camouflage-patterns | title=Europe's Official Camouflage Patterns {{pipe}} UF PRO Blog }} However, some are still used by military educational institutes, Russian soldiers in parades{{sfnp|Galeotti|2017|p=46}} and in Ukraine.{{sfnp|Galeotti|2019|pp=32-33}}
- {{flag|Tajikistan}}: Adopted EMR to replace Flora.{{sfnp|Larson|2021|p=328}}
=Partially-recognized states=
File:2015-05-07. Репетиция парада Победы в Донецке 197.jpg
- {{flag|Donetsk People's Republic}}{{sfnp|Crowther|2022|p=67}}
- {{flag|Luhansk People's Republic}}{{sfnp|Crowther|2023|p=43, 45}}
References
{{reflist}}
Bibliography
- {{cite book |title=War in Ukraine: Volume 1: Armed Formations of the Donetsk People's Republic, 2014-2022 |last=Crowther |first=Edward |year=2022 |publisher=Helion and Company |isbn= 978-1915070661}}
- {{cite book |title=War in Ukraine: Volume 3: Armed Formations of the Luhansk People’s Republic, 2014–2022 |last=Crowther |first=Edward |year=2023 |publisher=Helion and Company |isbn= 978-1804512173}}
- {{cite book |title=Armies Of Russia's War In Ukraine|last=Galeotti |first=Mark |year=2019 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn= 978-1472833440}}
- {{cite book |title=The Modern Russian Army 1992–2016|last=Galeotti |first=Mark |year=2017 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |isbn= 978-1472819086}}
- {{cite book |last1=Larson |first1=Eric H. |title=Camouflage: International Ground Force Patterns, 1946–2017 |date=2021 |publisher=Pen & Sword |location=Barnsley |isbn=9781526739537}}
{{Camouflage}}