What are dry rations in the Belarusian army, and what are they criticized and praised for?
If you want to eat "like in the army during exercises," you can: you'll find everything in a regular store.
Screenshot from YouTube video
The 1068th Food Base, located in Haradzishcha (Minsk district), is responsible for forming dry rations for the Belarusian army.
The composition of military dry rations was published by the Telegram channel "Ya-voenny.bel".
The general military ration looks like this: hardtack crackers or wheat flour crackers (or biscuits, crispbreads), sweet biscuits (or waffles), canned meat (stew), canned fish, meat-vegetable preserves, sugar, tea, caramel, food hematogen or fruit-grain bar, fruit juice. The energy value of such a dry ration is as much as 3890 calories - for heavy loads.
Coffee and chocolate are added to the diet of airborne forces personnel. Here, the caloric content is 4008 calories.
The diet for special forces units is almost identical in composition but designed for 4730 calories.
A review of the army special forces dry ration was made by Mazyr-based YouTube blogger Sergei Tsereshchanka. He claims that the Belarusian dry ration was sent to him by one of his subscribers.
The food set includes: Zhlobin Meat Processing Plant stew, Slonim Meat Processing Plant barley porridge with beef (two cans), Baltic sprats in tomato sauce, three packs of hardtack crackers, a pack of sweet biscuits (five pieces), four sachets of Kali Laska black tea, hematogen, a small Alenka chocolate bar, eight sachets of sugar (10 grams each), and fourteen lollipops. For some reason, there was no juice, which was supposed to be there.
Screenshot from YouTube video
The blogger was outraged that his set contained two identical cans of barley with beef. He wondered why it wasn't possible to include different options, such as rice or buckwheat.
Screenshot from YouTube video
The man also disliked that the stew can didn't have a pull-tab. There wasn't one on the sprats can either, which means it's very inconvenient to open. As Sergei says, "either with a knife or with your teeth."
He also criticized the box itself, in which the dry ration was packaged. Because it is made of ordinary cardboard, which will easily and quickly fall apart from moisture (for comparison: even the Russian dry ration is reliably packed in a sealed plastic bag). In general, Sergei calls all the packaging in the set outdated. For example, Western armies have long used retort pouches instead of large, heavy, and inconvenient cans.
Russian dry ration, sold on "Kufar" for only 33 rubles
"Where are the spoons? What will the soldier eat with? A bayonet-knife? Can't our Belarusian industry really produce good quality spoons with thermoplastic automatons? Not the ones they put in the Russian army's dry ration — they break — but strong, good ones."
A plus the blogger saw was the quality of the products. He said he himself had bought such canned goods in a store and was confident that meat could indeed be found in the cans.
But there are questions about the taste. The blogger claims that eating porridge cold is still unpleasant, and he found nothing to heat it with.
"Tell me, should a soldier light a campfire? Any drone with a thermal imager would see him then."
Sergei generally calls the hardtack crackers "hated" and wonders why Belarus can't make canned bread (it's present in NATO dry rations).
Blogger and shooting instructor from Dagestan, Marat Sutayev
Earlier, blogger and shooting instructor from Dagestan, Marat Sutayev, also reviewed the Belarusian army's dry ration. His set included barley with beef and buckwheat with beef. There was no juice, but there was coffee.
The first thing that surprised Marat was the absence of items to heat food (information can be found online that some Belarusian dry rations include dry fuel with a stand). So he had to take what he needed from a Russian dry ration.
Screenshot from YouTube video
He says that canned food can be eaten cold, but it tastes much better warm. The blogger also noted the absence of a spoon but took out his own.
Marat was impressed by how much meat there was in the Belarusian porridges. He says it was very tasty. He made a sandwich with stew on a hardtack cracker.
"I would gladly join the Belarusian army to eat such a dry ration. Just kidding."
Overall, Marat liked the ration. He said there was nothing superfluous.
Screenshot from YouTube video
In 2023, STB also decided to compare dry rations from Belarus, Russia, and NATO countries.
The journalist actively praised domestic canned goods, convincing viewers that they were already exclusive worldwide: "Belarus is the only country in the post-Soviet space that has preserved the legendary can in its dry rations."
But he noted: Russia's ration is more diverse — it includes vegetable stew, chicken pâté, apple puree, and fruit drinks. They even included chewing gum.
Russian dry ration, can be easily purchased on "Kufar" for just 33 rubles
This is what's included in a Russian dry ration
The main difference of the American dry ration is that it is designed for one meal (Belarusian and Russian are for the whole day).
American dry ration, sold on "Kufar" (80 rubles for one)
"Among the main items — stewed chicken in tomato sauce with feta cheese, corn casserole. There's bread, but not like hardtack, more like what even astronauts take. There's processed cheese — it's also present in Russian colleagues' rations. Then caramel-apple nougat. Cappuccino. And further on, disposable tableware and hygiene products."
The American dry ration included a flameless food heater — water needs to be poured inside it. The report claimed that a similar one is found in the Belarusian ration. The journalist criticized the Russian version.
Screenshot from STB video
He also disliked the Russian buckwheat with beef — he says the taste of meat is not felt at all. The Belarusian canned food — a completely different taste.
By the way, a Russian soldier's dry ration can now be easily bought on "Kufar" for just 33 rubles, and an American one for 80 rubles.