No, Russia’s futuristic Sotnik armor isn’t real

Recently, a Russian story from three years ago has gotten a lot of traction on social media once more. The story in question shows a futuristic-looking soldier wearing top-to-bottom super armor called the Sotnik armor. 

According to the viral headlines, the armor can withstand hits from a .50 BMG round, absorb the shock, and prevent injury! 

Are the claims true, and will Russia pour into Ukraine wearing the most advanced armor ever created? To answer that question, we have to look at what the Sotnik is claimed to do and dig into what exactly it means to have bullet-proof armor. 

The claims behind Sotnik

The Sotnik armor is built by the state-owned company Rustec. The new armor, which was unveiled in 2021, is set to replace the current generation of Ratnik armor in 2025. It supposedly weighs 44 pounds, which seems heavy, but would be incredibly light for a nearly full-body armor that could stop incredibly powerful rounds. 

Rustec’s industrial director, Bekkhan Ozdoev, claimed that the new armor system will be quite futuristic. He was quoted as saying the armor would include, “roboting equipment and integrated systems for exchanging information.” In the future, Sotnik will supposedly receive a titanium exoskeleton to allow Russian soldiers to carry the armor and gear with ease. 

According to Rostec’s CEO Sergey Chemezov, “The gear will not restrict movement and will allow you to take the extra weight necessary to perform special missions.”

The armor is said to be made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Polyethylene fiber armor isn’t new and has been used to create armor for plate carriers. Commonly called UHMWPE, which stands for Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene, the material is much lighter than ceramic or steel and can even float.

It’s not unrealistic to see Russia using high-tech armor. However, if the Sotnik armor is real it would be revolutionary: It could provide an extreme degree of protection from explosives, fragmentation, and small arms fire. Russian troops would be unstoppable.

And the reality

The reality of Sotnik is simple: The armor doesn’t exist and is likely propaganda. Russia is famous for touting high-tech military arms. Yet, its claims are almost always a lie, and when they are not, the arms are produced in such small numbers that it doesn’t matter.

The Sotnik armor suit seen in numerous viral photos is likely just a display and not functional. The Sotnik is supposed to replace the Ratnik – built by TsNIITochMash, a subsidiary of Rostec – which Russia is supposedly arming its troops with now. Yet, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has shown that Russian soldiers are wearing and using a wide variety of gear. 

The Russian military was supposed to be completely issued Ratnik-2 armor by 2020. However, in some cases, Russian troops weren’t even issued body armor, and some were purchasing their own armor. The few that received the Ratnik quickly found that it fell apart. Ukraine troops captured some suits, and it failed to stop pistol rounds, much less rifle rounds. 

The Sotnik armor was never intended to be produced. What will likely happen is that the Russian military will order the armor, a lot of money will trade hands, and nothing will come of it. It seems to be just another scheme to take Russian taxpayer rubles and pass them to oligarchs.  

Let’s say it could work 

Let’s say the Sotnik wasn’t a propaganda piece, and it wasn’t a scam to pay off oligarchs with tax payer’s money. Would it ever be capable of stopping .50 BMG rounds as Rostec straight up claims?

The idea that the armor could stop a .50 BMG and weigh only 44 pounds is insane. If such an armor existed it would revolutionize not just body armor, but tank and APC armor, boat armor, and beyond. 

Let’s say the armor could stop the bullet from penetrating. The .50 BMG cartridge still packs 13,000 foot-pounds of energy. That energy impacting the armor would devastate the wearer. According to Sotnik, the armor would be able to absorb shock, too. Yet, if that type of armor could absorb that much force, it would defy physics.

If a handgun round strikes police-type soft armor, it can still break your ribs. If a rifle round hits hard armor, the best-case scenario is that the soldier gets the air knocked out of him. Worst case, sternum or back injuries, bruises, ribs, and more. 

Sotnik simply won’t work. Russia might as well claim that the armor can fly – which is as believable as the claims it is currently making. The Sotnik armor is a bad joke and just another scam by Russian oligarchs. The state of the Russian military is a testament to the price of corruption.

Feature Image: Rostec’s Sotnik armor (Rostec)

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