Russian forces shift to mass motorcycle assaults in Ukraine — military expert

Military and political observer Oleksandr Kovalenko discusses the issue on his Telegram channel.

According to Kovalenko, a notable feature of the assaults was the use of a large number of personnel, averaging 350-400 people, as well as a significant number of motorcycles. For example, in the Pokrovsk direction, the Russian forces used up to a hundred motorcycles during the assault operations.

Previously, assaults consisted of systematic suicidal raids by small groups of 3-4 people, with occasional attacks involving vehicles and troops confined in MT-LB, MBT, and other armored vehicles, as well as civilian vehicles. Such mass assaults using motorcycles had not only been rarely used, they had never been practiced before.

When motorcycles became one of the means of transportation for the invading Russian forces, they were used in assaults in small numbers, typically 10-20 units. However, the involvement of up to a hundred motorcycle assault troops is a unique phenomenon even for this war, which could potentially become a regular tactic.

Using motorcycles as assault vehicles may seem surreal, but when the command disregards the lives of its soldiers, even an electric scooter could be considered a substitute for a scarce BTR-82A. Moreover, motorcycles allow for rapid movement over distances, and when the main goal is to secure a specific point on the map, like a "bush," "crater," "small hill," or a battered rural bus stop – they can be quite useful.

A large number of such two-wheeled suicide units complicates the work of FPV drones. The fact that our units withstood this test of endurance does not mean that tomorrow or in a few days, there will be 200 or 300 motorcyclists, with somewhat greater fire support.

This tactic once again raises the question of why, when there was such an opportunity, fields and roads along potential Russian forces' advance routes were not turned into a continuous minefield, strung with barbed wire both widthwise and lengthwise, and into the fourth dimension? By the way, barbed wire, as a hindering element, equally affects both infantry and light vehicles, especially something like a motorcycle.

Back in 2024, it was clear that anti-infantry obstacles would need to become predominant and literally hypertrophied, as it would be infantry that the Russian army would fight with, turning it into the primary element of their advancement, not tanks or armored vehicles. In particular, the integrated use of artillery, especially battalion-level with cluster munitions, light MLRS, FPV drones detonating in the air with numerous shrapnel elements, and other means aimed at area targets rather than individual ones, could have impacted the situation, but…

“It is entirely possible that Russian forces will soon transition from mechanized to motorcycle-based units, especially since many of these vehicles are of Chinese production. Chinese companies manufacture a vast number of motorcycles daily, so Russia, which is facing significant problems in producing even this type of transport, will clearly not have a shortage. A threat has emerged. How it will evolve - we will see,” Kovalenko concludes.