Ukrainian troops have noted an increasing use of electric scooters by Russian forces in assaults, highlighting a shift towards lighter and more unconventional battlefield transport.
A video posted by @wartranslated earlier this month shows Russian troops using electric scooters to launch an attack in the Pokrovsk direction.
Russians are experiencing a noticeable shortage of equipment, which leads to scenes like this: in the Pokrovsk direction, they sent their troops to assault on electric scooters. pic.twitter.com/9I2RHva5WA
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) April 21, 2025
Another video from Twitter user @bayraktar_1love shows a Russian assault group departing on electric scooters to attack the front lines.
Russian assault group on electric scooters departs to attack front lines. pic.twitter.com/I2KOpw8uHw
— Special Kherson Cat
(@bayraktar_1love) April 7, 2025
Russia’s use of electric scooters was first reported in December by Militarnyi.com.
Lt. Col. Dmytro Pavlenko-Kryzheshevskyi, intelligence chief for Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, scooter assaults have become more common in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukrainian troops operating in the Kursk region report that incidents of Russian “scooter-assaults” are becoming increasingly frequent. pic.twitter.com/tddwgGDrC0
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) April 23, 2025
Pavlenko-Kryzheshevskyi said that troops are using electric scooters to make targeting groups of soldiers more challenging. “Hitting just one piece of equipment carrying 15 people, well, that’s possible,” he told The New York Times. “But when those 15 people are riding electric scooters, then that’s a very big problem.”
He also noted that, after suffering heavy losses in tanks and armored vehicles, Russian forces are turning to smaller, more agile vehicles like scooters, buggies and ATVs. These alternatives are not only more cost-effective but also harder to track.
In February, SOFX reported that Russian forces were also using tractors, and even horses to maintain their offensive operations in Ukraine.
While Russia appears to be improvising, Ukraine has long used light electric vehicles, including e-bikes, for targeted operations. Ukrainian troops use these vehicles for stealthy movements, like placing sniper teams near front lines.
In December, Ukraine said it used an electric scooter rigged with explosives to kill Russian Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov outside his apartment in Moscow.
