If I were writing this article, it wouldn't be about armored vehicles. It would be about how I've noticed that in videos lately I've seen the same things over and over again. Namely, Russian troops on motorbikes and in light cars and trucks with the doors ripped off.
By contrast, I then see Ukrainian troops still moving around in armored APCs and cars/trucks with doors. The latter are magnets for drones, which can take out a whole squad at once inside the vulnerable, slow APCs. In the car/truck drone videos typically the last thing I see are doors being flung open, but without time for the occupants to emerge from the vehicle.
Meanwhile the Russian motorbikes and doorless cars are much lighter and more agile and you can only hit one soldier at a time on a bike. The soldiers are also able to fling themselves clear at the last second from the doorless vehicles.
I've seen a lot of comments from westerners mocking the stripped down Russian approach, as if continuing to use up expensive Western military vehicles is an intelligent approach. It is not.
That’s right. And we also see Russians doing attacks mostly on foot, using very few armored vehicles.
But they are replenishing their destroyed vehcles. And the West is still working with “restro-rods” or “restomods”
“Meanwhile the Russian motorbikes and doorless cars are much lighter and more agile and you can only hit one soldier at a time on a bike. The soldiers are also able to fling themselves clear at the last second from the doorless vehicles.”
AI Overview
Russian forces are using donkeys and horses for logistics in the Ukraine war due to a high number of destroyed vehicles and resupply challenges. Russian officials have defended the use of pack animals, citing the difficulty in getting supplies to the front lines and arguing that it is better for a donkey to be lost than a soldier.
Logistical necessity: Russian soldiers are using donkeys and horses to carry ammunition, food, and other supplies because their trucks and other vehicles are being destroyed at a high rate.
https://www.google.com/search?q=russian+ukrainedonkeys&oq=russian+ukrainedonkeys
“Meanwhile the Russian motorbikes and doorless cars are much lighter and more agile and you can only hit one soldier at a time on a bike. “
Watch this
“Meanwhile the Russian motorbikes and doorless cars are much lighter and more agile- and you can only hit one soldier at a time on a bike.”
Jump to 5:30
https://youtu.be/_dc2W0VgETQ?si=AQB7iM12Bd7GuQTG
“and you can only hit one soldier at a time on a bike”
Value:
Russian soldier - $200,000
Ukraine drone - $1,000
“If I were writing this article, it wouldn’t be about armored vehicles. It would be about how I’ve noticed that in videos lately I’ve seen the same things over and over again. Namely, Russian troops on motorbikes and in light cars and trucks with the doors ripped off.”
In addition, such vehicles are used to deliver provisions, ammunition, and infantry to positions or as transportation for mobile anti-tank and anti-aircraft crews.
Their speed helps minimize the time spent in the open, thus reducing the time to detection and destruction.
Despite their high speed and maneuverability, such vehicles often become easy targets for FPV drones and artillery, and due to the lack of protection, the crew’s survival chances are minimal.
“I’ve seen a lot of comments from westerners mocking the stripped down Russian approach, as if continuing to use up expensive Western military vehicles is an intelligent approach. It is not.”
Finally, casualty rates remain a major concern. Feedback from across the front reveals two consistent patterns: either motorcycle assaults fail to deliver meaningful results, or success comes at a steep cost, with only one in several groups surviving to complete the mission. This raises serious questions about whether such losses would be considered acceptable by commanders in Western militaries.
https://frontelligence.substack.com/p/21st-century-dragoons-dissecting