The throbbing age-old romance associated with motorcycles is finding new play in the grasslands that extend expansively across the Russia-Ukraine frontier.
Faced with the growing problem of conducting assaults and yet avoiding attacks by hovering Ukrainian drones, they are the new swift assault vehicles and are proving to be very effective.
Reported to have been phased out of Russian military service in 2011 due to lack of utility, the Ukraine conflict had brought motorcycles back to the frontline. Earlier, the Russians had begun using lightweight vehicles that included buggies and even turbocharged versions of golf carts but motorcycles have provided the best solution.
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In June, the Russian defence ministry told a new agency: “The motorcycle is already almost standard equipment there. Such a small and extremely maneuverable target, unlike heavy equipment, is very hard to hit. The fighters roll into Ukrainian trenches at speed and immediately engage in combat, while our drone operators guide them from the air.”
Online videos from the warfront show large fleets of motorcycles at regimental bases such as the 123rd Motorized Rifle Brigade in Donetsk or the 71st Motorized Rifle Regiment.
Reports say almost half of the attacks in the frontlines comprise Russian assault units riding mountain motorcycles that traverse the exposed open spaces at good speed.
With two soldiers each on a bike, and with four motorcycles forming a squad of eight soldiers, these bike-borne units, under cover of darkness at night or dusk, have managed to create a major tactical impact among the Ukrainian fighters holed up in bunkers and trenches across the frontier grassland.
With First Person View (FPV) reconnaissance and weaponised drones operated by the Ukrainian army managing to wreak havoc among Russian armoured units comprising tanks and armoured vehicles, these mobike-borne assault teams are doing what tanks haven’t been able to do.
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According to NATO figures, more than two-thirds of Russian tanks destroyed by Ukrainian forces have been the handiwork of FPV suicide drones.
The advantages that these motorcycles have are speed, agility, and stealth—more so if they are electric bikes—and are not easily targeted compared to large-sized tanks or armoured vehicles.
Their small size also helps them to maneuver easily, unlike the lumbering tanks which have become almost sitting ducks for the prowling drones loaded with several pounds of explosives.
At the same time, there are several disadvantages that motorcycle assault units suffer from. Besides being unstable and offering no protection, motorcycles are unusable in slushy terrain during the rains or even during winters when snow covers most of the frontier region. Also on being hit, the chances of their crew members’ surviving are much less. But for now, motorcycles are doing what they do best—ride the cross-country ride.
