SSh-68 (Steel Helmet model of 1968) is a further development of the military helmet of the 1940s (SSh-40). It differs from the SSh-40 by the absence of a “visor” and higher durability. In 1968, a new SSh-68 helmet was introduced for the Soviet Armed Forces. It weighed from 1230 to 1350g.

The SSh-68 steel helmet was also painted in a dark green color. It was manufactured only at the “Krasnyi Oktyabr” factory in Volgograd from 1968 to 1981, with a total production of 8 to 12 million pieces. It was used in most conflicts from 1960 to 2000: Afghanistan (1979-1989), Chechnya (1994-2004), Georgia (2008), and the war in Donbas (2014).

It was in these helmets that Putin dressed most of his troops who came to Ukraine with war in February 2022. From the perspective of modern warfare, this helmet means instant death on the battlefield. But for the Russian army, human losses have no value – it’s just statistics for the generals. The more losses, the better for the generals and command.

It’s very funny, but Russian soldiers say to each other that Kevlar is for cowards, and steel helmets are the blood of their grandfathers that protect them and a status symbol. It’s very doubtful, but we won’t try to convince the occupiers. It’s a status symbol, a status symbol indeed.

In our collection, we have both signed and unsigned helmets of this brand. Our craftsmen love to work with them: paint them, make interesting things and art out of them. When we remove the green paint from the helmet and polish the surface, a simply beautiful metallic color of a future artwork appears, which can become yours and remind you of what dictatorship and propaganda become in the modern world.

You can read more about the information and history of this helmet here: In Ukrainian: https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%A8-68

In English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSh-68

In the language of the occupier: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%A8-68