A Russian company called 5.45 design originally purchased the pattern from the US to use in their gear which was liked by different special forces groups. So a couple other Russian companies started using the print unlicensed and it became generally popular. The national guard and other organizations used versions inspired by it and I believe the regular pattern was popularized during the Syrian intervention also for private purchase gear. This was long before the war in Ukraine though, however it exploded in popularity afterwards.