War in Ukraine: Vladimir Putin admits that Russia is struggling to produce enough uniforms for its army

Russian President Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russia is facing difficulties in fully equipping its armed forces with uniforms and textiles produced locally, according to The Moscow Times.

The president acknowledged significant shortcomings despite the new policy aimed at boosting local production and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. He confessed during a meeting with Stanislav Voskresensky, governor of the Ivanovo region, that “not everything that needs to be done has been done in this direction.”

Voskresensky tried to highlight the positive effects of a presidential decree that came into effect on January 1, 2026, which prohibits the Russian army from purchasing foreign textiles. This decree bans the purchase of foreign equipment and requires that 100% of fabrics be Russian by 2027, as up to 30% of military textiles still came from abroad in 2024, according to the Moscow Times.

To meet the increasing military demand and comply with the new national requirements, Russia’s war economy is rapidly cannibalizing its civilian textile sector. Throughout last year, several large civilian clothing factories were exclusively repurposed for the production of military uniforms.

Gloria Jeans, Russia’s largest clothing manufacturer, for example, sold its factories in the Rostov region to Bulava, a military equipment company co-owned by the Kalachnikov group.

This shift was motivated by state mandates, but primarily by a severe labor crisis exacerbated by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. “Some are leaving for the Special Military Operation (name given to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia), and others are leaving to sew monotonous clothes with big orders and higher salaries,” explains Vladimir Melnikov, the founder and CEO of Gloria Jeans.

According to The Moscow Times, domestic clothing production has become so costly that brands prefer to sell their assets to military entrepreneurs rather than compete for personnel.

This collapse of the civilian textile sector is symptomatic of a broader economic crisis, exacerbated by sanctions and falling incomes. While the war effort is in full swing, the civilian sector is collapsing. Companies are seeing profits plummet, sales decline, and thousands of jobs are at risk. This situation is worsened by the Kremlin, which is draining local budgets to fund the conflict, plunging civilian regions into a deep economic crisis.