Russian Submariner Photo Mysteries

In September 2005's The Submarine Service - A Relatively Small World we addressed a photo mystery from the interior (control room) of an unidentified, conventional submarine:

From Lubber, we learned that the foreign sub was soviet and that the officer on the periscope was Russian Commodore Joel Bubbleheadski. The good Commodore commented: "What the hell's that red thing I got hanging in front of my crotch?"

We assumed the red cannister (oxygen, vodka) was an artifact of a bygone era. Why we must never assume:

Notice the recent photo above of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin inspecting some of his Pacific Fleet submariners. What is it that they are all wearing on their web belts? The red mystery objects are clearly not artifacts from a bygone era, they are standard issue of today's Russian submariners, too. Would you worldly navy types (Canada, U.K., Russia, etc.) kindly advise your American brothers the purpose of Russia's mystery objects (oxygen, vodka, spring water, dosimetry kits, spare primary coolant, n.o.s., etc.) ?

Next, notice the submariners saluting Putin (in the same row as those not). Is this an indication of a discipline lapse (very doubtful) in proper military etiquette by the Russian submariners, or is a faithful performance of a more complex custom than Americans practice?

Finally, is Commodore Bubbleheadski (pictured above at the periscope) also the 4th guy from the left in Putin's line-up, or is it his twin brother?