Troop identification

I need some help in identifying the nationality of the soldier right in the picture. The reason for this is in trying to identify a plague among many forums: pretend to be soldiers. The claim is the soldier is Russian.



Yet:

Dutch flag:



Russian flag:



It has also been pointed out the pic isn't clear enough so it could also be an Iraqi flag:



Yet since Russia doesn't have soldiers in Iraq and the Netherlands do, plus the flag resembles it, I'd say he's Dutch. Yet, being civilian, I don't know enough about in what direction the other insignia, flak jacket, beret, weapon and costume point. Upon looking into some pictures of Dutch troops, I found so far that the dutch blue beret doesn't look like the one in the pic, the weapon doesn't look like any in the Dutch pics and the clothes also don't look like the pics of Dutch soldiers I've seen so far.

Anyone can shed some light on this?

The soldier in question has a 101st Airborne patch on his left shoulder....so whoever he is he is probably attached to the 101st. I don't think any Russians are attached to the 101st.

That also looks like a subdued (dark) US flag on his chest. Maybe someone in the US Army can be of better help...but I think the 101st patch looks kind of "pasted on" or photochopped....it's not centered as it should be, crooked angled IMO.

good observation Simon666

[edit on 14/11/2005 by SportyMB]

In google images I came up with this when I did a search for

"Blue russian beret"



Search

Looks like the same style as the soldiers beret with the slanted flag on the left side.

[edit on 14/11/2005 by SportyMB]

The cap badge looks like a maple leaf to me, yet his DPM's look Greek or Turkish. (I test these kind of uniforms for flammability, and other tests including balistic on the body armour)
The other soldier has British DPM body armour on.

DPM=Dissruptive Pattern Material.

That beret certainly looks very similar to the one Sporty posted.

As for that wee flag, it looks to me like a little Iraq mission flag, like a theater of operations patch maybe. Also, that is most definitely a 101 patch, but I did notice some text underneath it that I don't rememeber from other 101's I've seen.

His weapon is rather interesting too. It appears to be a AK74 variant (im not too good with id'ing kalashnikovs) but certainly one of the higher priced AK's. Note the synthetic rather than wood stock, the red-dot reflex optics, and the heavily ported barrel. Whoever he is, he is well funded.

As for the body armor, no ideas. Borrowed perhaps?

Originally posted by Bikereddie

The other soldier has British DPM body armour on.

the other soldier? u mean on the left or the right? because on the left he has on, the Interceptor body armor.

OK, I give up... No clue who this guy is.

1. Russian special forces type beret. But it's not. Soviet Spetsnatz are red berets. And this one is blue. Really looks like a Soviet Naval Infantry beret, only it should be darker blue. The badge and patch match Soviet Naval Infantry. This guy should have a helmet. Must not be much combat around there.
2. Odd vest, looks like a vest, for over body armor, but it's body armor? Similar cut and pattern to OMON - special militisa forces in Russian Federation. Actually looks like it's on backwards. Never seen one in OD green, and it looks too small for his size.
3. Odd black rifle. Appears to be a folding-stock Romanian AK-74 variant never seen before. Flash surpressor is radically different, and the gas tube is different, but it's the gas tube that IDs it as Romanian.
4. Scope appears to be a EOTech HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight.
5. Black holster double drop-rig set-up. Looks like it was bought from a catalog. Poser wanna-be SWAT type gear. Soviet stuff is still leather, this is ballistic? He's right handed, but the pistol is on the left side. Goes well with the finger cut-out gloves he's wearing.
6. Knife doesn't look like military gear. Odd knife, sort of small, and has a strange looking grip.
7. Old CHIPPY US Army uniform. Not many of those around anymore. They gave them to the new Iraqi Army troops to wear. No idea why he's wearing one.
8. The Ranger/Airborne patch appears to be photoshopped onto the sleeve. Either that, or it's wanko and terribly crooked.
9. Wearing current issue US desert knee pad protectors. Wonder where he got those.
10. No ammo pouches, but has a tan pouch under the left arm. Probably for magazines, but not a good set-up, not normal.

The other guy is certainly a British trooper.

Best guess. Soviet/East Bloc trooper or citizen, hanging out with the Ukranian or Polish troops in Iraqi. Getting his picture taken with a British trooper. Bought all his own gear. Don't know what else to think. It's not unusual to have odd troopers attached to a deployed unit. (They were never there.) And I suppose it's not odd to have a collage of gear to wear. Certainly odd choices though. He's not a mercenary, he doesn't have the right stuff. Nice rifle though.

Beret

Arm/shoulder patch


I've gotta say that at first I was real skeptical about that being anything other than the Dutch flag, but it does look like it could be black instead of blue on the bottom portion and as I zoom in and sharpen and saturate you can see three dots in the cental white band, might very well be an iraqi flag. Prehaps its whatever country that guy is from's way of saying 'this trooper served in iraq with the airborne', etc.

On the man on the left you can almost make out a name tag on his vest, looks like Heugh or some such.


The guy can't be regular russian army no? Mibbie a merc from russia tho, or wherever the heck he's from.


His outfit looks very clean too. Especially the straps for the gun and on his legs, they're still super dark black. I'd think iraqi sun and desert would fade it quick no? Compare to that of the guy on the left, which is slightly more faded

[edit on 14-11-2005 by Nygdan]

Well, I think I'll leave it at that. The poster in question is very controversial, some people believe him just because they like to believe he's a soldier or think that's part of supporting the troops, many others however point out that he's been proven a fraud and multinicker many times.

mod edit
please check your u2u

[edit on 15-11-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]