Budenovka A Budenovka ( ) is a distinctive type of hat and an essential part of the Communist uniform of the Russian Civil War and later . Its official name was the " broadcloth helmet " ( шлем суконный ) . Named after Semyon Budyonny , it was also known as the " frunzenka " after Mikhail Frunze . It is a soft , woolen hat that covers the ears and neck and that can be worn under a helmet . The cap has a beak and folded earflaps that can be buttoned under the chin . The hat was created as part of a new uniform for the Russian army by Viktor Vasnetsov , a famous Russian painter , who was inspired by the Kiev Rus helmet . The original name was " bogatyrka " ( богатырка ) – the hat of a bogatyr – and was intended to inspire Russian troops by connecting them with the legendary heroes of Russian folklore . Bogatyrkas were meant to be a part of a new uniform , so they had already been produced during World War I , but hadn ' t been officially adopted . Another version , quite popular in Russia , is that bogatyrkas were designed for a military parade as a part of a " historical " stylized uniform ( which also included an overcoat with " designer " cross - pieces , which evoked those worn by the Streltsy in the 16th to 18th centuries , which also were used in the Red Army to a limited extent ) . Some Russian historians even speculate the parade in question was a supposed victory parade in Berlin . Some view the bogatyrkas as an evolution of the bashlyk conical hoods worn by the Russian military since the mid - 19th century . During the Russian civil war , communist troops , who had no obligation to comply with the uniform standards of the Imperial Russian army , used " bogatyrkas " , as they were abundant and distinctive . " Bogatyrkas " were commonly decorated with red star pins as a distinguishing mark . Such decorations were often makeshift , but later were standardized , and a bigger star badge of broadcloth was sewn to the front of the hat , typically red but in some cases blue ( for cavalry ) or black ( for artillery ) . This allowed the communists to use the image of " Red " bogatyrs " " fighting the old and corrupt Russian system , employing the original idea by Vasnetsov . At this time the hat was renamed the " Budenovka " after Semyon Budyonny , the commander of the First Cavalry Army , as the hat ( with the blue star ) was particularly popular with cavalry units . It was also called as the " Frunzenka " after Mikhail Frunze , one of Bolshevik army leaders . The initial model with the high tip was replaced with a more practical low - tip model in 1927 . A summer version briefly existed , made from lighter cloth and lacking flaps . The hat was not part of the Red Army uniform for long , for both political and practical reasons . Although it was relatively easy to produce , it required expensive wool , did not provide good cold - weather protection and was inconvenient to wear under a helmet . Another reason was that it belonged to the revolutionary period of Russian history in which artistic and political expression had been under less rigorous control by the state . It was abandoned during the army reforms of the mid - 1930s , and phasing - out started in 1935 . Budenovkas were still in use during the Winter War of 1939 , but they were almost completely replaced by the start of the Great Patriotic War in 1941 with the garrison cap ( called " pilotka " ) and ushanka fur cap , but some were still in use by the Soviet partisans . Budenovka became part of history as Red Army cavalry men wearing budennovkas became an iconic cultural image from the Russian civil war , together with tachanka s , the Nagant revolver or Mauser C96 , Maxim gun and rebelling sailors with ammo belts slung over their chests . Stylized " budyonovkas " were popular children ' s headgear until late Soviet times . A similar but lesser known design called a " kolchakovka " was worn by counterrevolutionary troops commanded by Admiral Alexander Kolchak in Siberia . The main difference was that a kolchakovka lacked the distinctive tip of a budenovka . The budenovka remains part of the uniform of the army of the unrecognised state of Transnistria . In Estonian slang the Budenovka is called a " täitorn " – a " louse tower " .