Open-fronted jackets of various designs make the distinctively striped telnyashka a conspicuous part of the clothing of branches of the Russian armed forces.

A quadruple-stranded telnyashka is thick enough to keep the wearer warm with nothing else on, even at 5 °C (41 °F), as it was originally developed to be worn by military divers under a dry suit.

The Russian telnyashka originated in the distinctive striped marinière blouse worn by merchant sailors and fishermen of Brittany,[1] who adopted this style to distinguish them from other sea-going nationalities.

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations wears an orange and white striped telnyashka, introduced by Sergei Shoigu when he was its Minister.

[citation needed] Sailors of the Cuban Revolutionary Navy wear telnyashkas with blue stripes as part of their uniform.

The telnyashka is worn by a number of popular non-military characters of cinema and children's cartoons, notably The Wolf in Nu, pogodi and Matroskin the Cat in Troe iz Prostokvashino.

Other Campaign character, Chimera operative "Nikolai", wears a dark telnyashka shirt as part of his Multiplayer skins.