Ukraine’s soldiers are wearing what they call “tactical Crocs” when they’re off the front lines.
Dmytro Zhluktenko, a Ukrainian soldier who recently transitioned from his role as a drone operator to a drone lessons analyst with Ukraine’s 413th Unmanned Systems Regiment “RAID,” described the gear he wore and carried in a YouTube video.
His pack included slip-on shoes he described as “tactical Crocs.”
He told Business Insider that they are “absolutely essential.” At war, “really, it’s impossible to stay in combat boots all the time. So you have to somehow decompress.”
Being able to change footwear is important for soldiers moving on and off the front lines, particularly after long periods in trenches and bunkers. Staying in boots for extended periods in harsh conditions can lead to injury and disease, as past wars have shown.
Getting troops out of combat boots, built for protection, helps prevent infections and fungal diseases, blistering, musculoskeletal issues, and nerve damage. Doing so also provides psychological relief.
Another Ukrainian soldier, who spoke to Business Insider on the condition of anonymity for security reasons, said that he uses similar shoes.
He said they’re convenient and popular among younger soldiers. “It is quite fashionable,” he said.
Zhluktenko said he wears his in positions away from the front lines, in positions where there are no Russian drones and “almost no danger.”
So, “when it’s safe, I’m wearing my Crocs.”
The ones that he wears are from the Ukrainian company M-TAC, which makes gear for Ukrainian forces fighting Russia. Zhluktenko described them as “quite good, I think, in what they do.”
They’re also “quite cheap,” he said, at just over $8 a pair.
The shoes don’t have any connection to the US footwear company Crocs, but they share certain similarities, from an appearance standpoint.
Oleksii Donchenko, M-TAC’s chief marketing officer, told Business Insider that the product, which the company actually describes as a pair of rubber slippers, is “simple everyday footwear” that is “intended for routine use — for example, in temporary accommodation, bases, or rear-area environments.”
The company, which makes tactical clothing, military gear, and outdoor equipment, began making its own products in 2014, when Russia annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, sparking a conflict in eastern Ukraine that continued into Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Donchenko said it was “a moment when Ukraine effectively embarked on a path of armed resistance in defense of its European future in the face of Russian aggression.” To defend itself, Ukraine needed high-quality equipment, he said.
He said that the company is making “combat gear, tactical clothing, footwear, and equipment developed with direct reference to real wartime experience.” It said it has thousands of products “developed by our in-house design and engineering teams.”
Donchenko called the company “the largest and most recognizable military and tactical brand in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pictured wearing some of M-TAC’s gear, including a fleece that sold for around $111,000 at a 2022 fundraising auction for Ukraine. M-TAC doesn’t have any direct government contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Soldiers and civilians alike buy from them directly.
Zhluktenko said his gear is a mix of state-funded equipment, items that he bought himself, and crowdfunded supplies. What the military provides is good but not always the best fit, he said.
The military allows soldiers to use personal gear, letting them choose what works best.
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