An individual first aid kit, or IFAK for short, is an indispensable tool for anybody who may find themselves in sudden need of emergency medical treatment. This article provides an analysis of the individual first aid capabilities of the Russian military.
The current individual first aid kit (IFAK for short) of the Russian military was introduced in 2011 and is produced by the Spetsmedtekhnika company. According to pictures shown on the company website, the kit contains the following items:
1. An individual wound dressing packet
2. Elastic tourniquet
3. “Gemostop” hemostatic powder
4. AI series medkit, containing a painkiller syringe and medication for chemical and radiation exposure.
Image of standard Russian military IFAK, taken from Spetsmedtekhnika’s website
The kit is worn on the individual’s side. An example of a first aid kit was captured in September of 2022, and was shown by the Ukrainian broadcasting company ICTV. Instead of an AI series medkit, an IPP-11 chemical decontamination wipe and a trimeperidine syringe in a plastic vial were given instead.
Screenshot from ICTV, showing the contents of the captured kit
Compared to individual first aid kits of other countries, the Russian military uses a very minimal first aid kit. The disparity of equipment becomes apparent when compared to Ukrainian forces, whose kits contain the following medical equipment:
1. Medical Gloves
2. Occlusive dressings for chest wounds
3. Tourniquet
4. Thermal blanket
5. Nasopharyngeal airway
6. Scissors
7. Compression bandage
8. Sterile bandage
9.Thermal Blanket
In October 2022, the Russian news outlet TASS reported that the defense conglomerate Rostec presented an updated individual first aid kit to the Russian military after the Board of the Military-Industrial commission deemed the current kit to be obsolete. The proposed Rostec kit contains updated medical equipment that is comparable to NATO standards.
Russian troops also buy their own medical equipment. For example, in the ICTV report, a captured IFAK displays the American flag next to its medical cross. In addition, some cities, such as Saratov helped mobilized conscripts purchase medical equipment. This has resulted in medical equipment such as tourniquets being sold out in cities such as Volgograd.
Screenshot of a captured medical kit with an American flag patch
A problem arises when a person is injured and lacks specialized equipment such as a chest seal in their IFAK, necessitating the person aiding them to use their own equipment to assist the injured individual. This can lead to a dearth of necessary equipment for the person administering aid, thereby compromising their ability to aid themselves.
In conclusion, the individual first aid kit used by Russian forces fighting in Ukraine is relatively minimal compared to the kits used by other countries. In situations where necessary equipment is lacking, individuals need to rely on equipment they purchase on their own, which have caused shortages of medical equipment in parts of Russia.