REVIEW: The Ratnik MRE of the Russian Army

"Without food, there is no fight," the comrades in Russia know that too. We got our hands on a Russian army ration, the counterpart to the German EPA or American MRE, and today we want to show you what culinary delights the Russian soldiers are offered. But first, the box from the outside. It is 25 x 18.5 x 9.5 cm in size and is made of silicone-coated cardboard, making it water-repellent and stackable. On the top, you will find a convenient carrying handle. The inscription "не для продается!" means "not for sale!" Well, capitalism prevails everywhere.

The side shows the nutritional values of the individual meals. There are seven different variants in total, and manual work is still required for labeling, as seen with the marker 3. According to the table, our daily ration number 3 has 4,621 kcal. That should be enough for a day in the field.

Now let's find out what's inside. Carefully open the top and a cardboard box full of goodies appears. The abundance of crackers catches our eye right away.

In the picture, we have laid out the contents:

• 2 main dishes, each 250g
• 4 packs of crackers, each 50g
• 2 cans of spreads, each 50g
• 1 spread ("vegetable caviar"), 100g
• 1 applesauce, 100g
• 1 processed cheese, 80g
• 1 apple jam, 63g
• 2 packs of instant black tea
• 1 pack of instant coffee
• 1 pack of coffee creamer, 2g
• 3 packs of sugar, 100g each
• 1 instant raspberry drink
• 1 instant peach drink
• 1 instant cherry drink
• 1 pack of chewing gum
• 1 pack of chocolate, 30g
• 1 pack of pepper, 1g
• 1 pack of salt, 5g
• 3 packs of refreshing wipes
• 1 solid fuel cooker + fuel tabs
• 1 pack of storm matches
• 1 multivitamin tablet
• 3 water purification tablets
• 1 plastic knife
• 3 plastic spoons
• 4 paper napkins
• Instruction manual

We have uploaded the instruction manual in a higher resolution so you can read when and how much to consume. However, this is just a recommended consumption.

In the center of the image, you see the still packaged folding cooker. With this, we will now heat up one of the main dishes.

The setup is self-explanatory and nicely shown in the video. To heat it up, simply place the closed container on top and observe until the lid bulges. Then remove it from the flame, shake it, and place it back on the flame with the other side. Repeat this a few times, and the meal is ready to eat.

The main course is served. Meatballs in red sauce, accompanied by crackers. What a lavish menu! But seriously, the taste is really good and better than some US MREs. Never underestimate the Russians!

As a bonus, we treated ourselves to a small meat spread. No difference from the Western spread cans, except for the Cyrillic labeling, of course.

To conclude the meal, a few chewing gums. They are from Mentos, even the Russians know what's good. What's practical: after eating, everything can be quickly and conveniently stored back in the box. So, don't tear it open too wildly.

CONCLUSION: The Russian MRE doesn't need to hide from its Western counterparts. It is a significant improvement over the old daily ration, which mainly consisted of an abundance of crackers and spread cans. Enjoy!

You can find the Russian emergency rations at Grey-Shop for €14 or on Ebay.com. Just search for "Russian MRE," prices vary greatly from around $20 to $40 per pack.

Here is the LINK to the video on Youtube

The Russian Army online: eng.mil.ru