Russian socks were used late

People in Russia used to not know socks, but they wrapped their feet in bandages. These were cloths called Portyanki. They were made of wool or cotton, depending on the temperature. The cloth was wrapped around the foot. The boot or shoe followed. I shouldn’t think about it! One anecdote tells that many Russian soldiers even wore Portyanki as late as 2013. And you know what’s even funnier? The idea was adopted from the Dutch army by Tsar Peter the Great in the 17th century!