Is it true that the diet of Russian submariners includes wine?

According to popular belief, sailors serving on submarines are supposed to drink 100 grams of red wine daily. We checked whether this is actually true.

Reports that Russian submarines provide military personnel with red wine daily can be found in publications in Facebook, in the magazine "Dog.Ru" and on thematic sites. Different sources write about different volumes of wine and give several versions of where it comes from in the diet of submariners. One of the most common versions - for protection from the effects of nuclear reactors.

The food rations for military personnel in Russia are established by the government of the country. At the end of 2007 it was published Resolution “On food provision for military personnel and certain other categories of persons, as well as on provision of food (products) for staff animals of military units and organizations in peacetime,” which was then supplemented and amended several times. This rather extensive document describes in detail how the Russian military should eat and how their diet differs depending on the place of service, type of military service and other conditions.

According to the standards established by the government, 100 ml of dry wine is included in the daily diet for several categories of military personnel:

• serving on nuclear surface ships (during the voyage);
• serving on submarines;
• serving on Navy reconnaissance ships leaving naval bases or bases for periods exceeding six hours;
• aquanauts during the period of preparation and performance of tasks using the method of prolonged exposure to high pressure;
• hydronauts during diving on deep-sea technical means, as well as military personnel and civilian personnel during navigation on deep-sea technical means leaving naval bases or bases for a period of more than six hours.

The fact that the wine must be red is specified only for the last category.

In 2018 and... O. Head of the Food Department of the Ministry of Defense Dmitry Plotnikov told, that submariners need wine to stimulate blood circulation. Although it is widely believed that wine (as well as red caviar and chocolate) is given only to employees on nuclear ships to protect them from radiation, in fact the unusual ration item has nothing to do with it. This confirmed in an interview in 2017, Rear Admiral Viktor Kochemazov: “By and large, all this is given only to improve the digestion of the submariner, whose movement is limited, since the hull of the submarine does not allow active functioning.”

Is it true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2007 No. 946 “On food provision for military personnel and certain other categories of persons, as well as on the provision of feed (products) for staff animals of military units and organizations in peacetime”
2. Is it true that in the Russian army bromine is added to soldiers' food to reduce potency?