More about the uniform...

The two piece tank crew uniform was introduced in 1972 as a replacement for the one piece uniform that had been in use since the Patriotic War. 

According to the regulations, rank boards were not worn on the coverall jacket.  The numerous Cold War era photos of soldiers wearing them were usually staged for military newspapers or other propaganda photos. (1)

The jacket was closed by means of a single row of buttons along a hidden center placket.  Single snap closures secure the two breast pockets.  The left breast pocket concealed a Makarov pistol holster (the inside of which is seen at right) which was further secured by a zipper.  A pocket on the upper right breast could hold two additional ammunition magazines for the pistol or other small objects.

The trousers feature two open pockets at the waist level and are secured by a cloth belt that uses a brass buckle and a number of reinforced brass rings.

The black M-1972 pattern uniform was primarily worn in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.  This began to change after the invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 when it was decided to produce a khaki version of the uniform.

A rarer variant of the uniform as a blue-green naval infantry version that also featured buttons with navy anchors on them.

By the early 1990's the Soviet Ministry of Defense decided that the uniform would be replaced by a new design of the same cut, but using the new VSR camouflage pattern.  The black M-1972 continued to be worn for some time after this, but was eventually withdrawn completely as existing stocks depleted.