Yesterday on our official Instagram page (which you should definitely follow) we ran a photo of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wearing a 5.11 Tactical shirt branded with the Ukrainian flag. A lot of people saw that photo, and had questions about President Zelenskyy’s 5.11 shirt, so we reached out to our friends at 5.11.
Is President Zelenskyy’s 5.11 Shirt a Real Product?
Yes, it is. Or at least it was, according to 5.11 Tactical. They made a run of those shirts for the European market with several different nation’s flags on them. Apparently, 5.11 has been inundated with requests for the shirt. Here’s their full statement:
5.11 is aware that Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, addressed the media earlier this week wearing 5.11 apparel. That item is currently out of stock, but we are working diligently to produce more units globally as quickly as possible. 5.11 will make a donation to humanitarian and medical relief efforts on the ground in Europe in honor of the 5.11 Ukraine Shirts.
Our thoughts are with the entire European continent as they work to navigate the violence and displacement currently occurring. We mourn for the victims, their families, and the world, and hope for a return to peace soon.
Can I Still Buy President Zelenskyy’s 5.11 Shirt?
Right now, the only available options are pre-worn shirts on reseller sites such as EBay. Of course, whenever you’re dealing with resellers, the chance of getting a counterfeit is high. Unscrupulous people are always looking for an opportunity to capitalize on the “hot item of the moment” and right now that’s anything related to Ukraine.
Update on March 18th: the Ukraine 5.11 shirt is now available from 5.11! Their media team reached out to us to let us know that it’s available for purchase in limited quantities.
This isn’t the first time Ukraine’s president has sported western gear. In 2021, he toured the Donbas region, where fighting was going on with Russian separatists. Many of the photos currently circulating of him wearing an OpsCore helmet and an unknown plate carrier are actually from that 2021 trip.
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