Russian motorcycle attacks should be suicidal. Why aren't they?
Russian forces are currently mainly using tanks as fire support for infantry assaults and are mainly using armored vehicles to transport infantry in near rear and frontline areas, but not to conduct penetrations of the Ukrainian defensive line.
Russia's increased use of motorcycles is an adaptation in response to pervasive Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian armored vehicles and the unsustainable armored vehicle losses that Russian forces suffered in late 2023 and 2024. Trehubov noted on May 4 that motorcycle assaults are a "standard tactic" of the Russian military now due to Russia's ongoing shortage of heavy equipment and armored vehicles. Trehubov stated that Russian motorcycle assaults are more effective because Russian forces can advance quickly and better evade Ukrainian drone operators and force Ukrainian drone operators to expend more drones to counter motorcycle assaults. Trehubov noted that Ukrainian forces typically expend one drone per Russian motorcycle – a comparatively smaller and less valuable target, given that Ukrainian forces can also use first-person view (FPV) drones to disable Russian tanks and armored vehicles.
Motorcycle speed helps them evade FPV drones.
I get why speed and dispersal of infantry complicates the ability of Ukrainian FPV suicide drones to kill the attackers before the Russians can close with the Ukrainian defenders and get under cover.
But motorcycles cope with one threat--the FPV drones. I just don't understand why minefields, obstacles, and area artillery fire--let alone direct machine gun fire--don't stop that tactic in its tracks.
This tactic should be target practice. It's stuff like this that makes me wary of drawing broader conclusions from this war. I mean, the Ukrainians have followed suit with motorcycles--although not with the charges, to be fair.
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NOTE: I made the image with Bing, which really didn't follow my directions.
