Russian military commanders in Ukraine have been increasingly relying on light vehicles, such as all-terrain vehicles and off-road motorcycles, to shuttle troops to the front lines and conduct limited strikes on Ukrainian positions, British military officials said Monday.
The Russian Army purchased more than 2,000 Chinese-made Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicles in November for use in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin personally inspected the ATVs before they were shipped to the front line, UK military officials said.
Russian forces have increasingly resorted to using the lighter and faster vehicles to conduct reconnaissance of Ukrainian defensive positions and call in artillery or drone strikes to “consistently degrade Ukrainian forces,” UK officials posted on X in their latest assessment of the battlefield conditions there.
But relying on motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles on a modern battlefield like Ukraine comes at a cost, as Russia’s military sacrifices armor and firepower for increased mobility.
“Light vehicles are far more vulnerable than their armored counterparts to an array of weapons systems,” UK intelligence analysts posted on X. “Ukrainian FPV (first person view) drones have already demonstrated their ability to effectively target such light vehicles.”