Collection: Russian 6B-13 Armor Vests
Russian 6B13 "Zabralo" Assault Body Armor Vest – Collector’s Historical Overview
The 6B13 (6Б13) represents a pivotal chapter in modern Russian body armor development. Introduced between 1999 and 2003 as part of the “Barmitsa” personal equipment system, it was the first Russian assault vest to provide balanced, high-level protection for both front and rear while maintaining acceptable mobility for dismounted infantry and special operations forces.Designed by the KlASS company (with contributions from Techinkom), the 6B13 was created to address the limitations of the earlier 6B23 series, which offered only a single front steel plate. The 6B13 introduced dual hard armor protection in a relatively lightweight package for its era, earning the nickname “Zabralo” (Visor) for its tall, protective collar that shields the neck and lower jaw.
Layout and Construction
The vest consists of a rugged, olive-drab or EMR/Flora-camouflaged outer carrier made of heavy-duty ballistic nylon with MOLLE-compatible webbing on the front and sides. Inside the carrier are four main ballistic components:
- Front hard plate pocket – Accepts a large ceramic “Granit-4M” (or early steel 44C) plate providing Class 4 protection (Russian GOST standard, roughly equivalent to NIJ Level III+). The plate covers the vital organs from the upper chest to the lower abdomen.
- Rear hard plate pocket – Identical ceramic plate, giving true 360° rifle protection — a major leap forward from the front-only 6B23-1.
- Soft armor panels – Multi-layer aramid fabric (TSVM-2 or similar Russian para-aramid) quilted into the front, back, and side sections. These deliver Class 2–3 protection against handgun rounds and fragmentation.
- High protective collar – A semi-rigid aramid “neck guard” that extends upward to protect the throat and lower face, a signature feature of the Zabralo series.
Historical Significance
The 6B13 bridged the gap between the lighter 6B23 and the later Ratnik-era 6B45/6B47 systems. It saw limited but important service in the Second Chechen War and early counter-terrorism operations. Today, genuine surplus examples are highly sought after by collectors because of their transitional design, excellent condition rarity, and iconic status in the video game Escape from Tarkov (where it appears as the famous “Killa” armor).Whether displayed as a complete configured vest with Granit-4M plates or as a carrier-only piece, the 6B13 stands as a landmark in Russian body armor history — the first true “assault” vest that gave the wearer confidence of protection from any direction on the modern battlefield.