Russian ground tactics are changing in Ukraine. The Kremlin, driven primarily by heavy losses of armoured vehicles, is seeking to integrate civilian motorcycles as a standardised platform in assault brigades and infantry formations. This development is expected to consolidate before the end of the year, as Russia increases motorcycle training for infantry soldiers expected to participate in forthcoming offensives.

While the nature of the vehicles involved in the assaults has provided the Russian forces with short-term manoeuvre advantages and some degree of operational success—such as the 39th Motor Rifle Brigade’s breakthrough along the Pokrovsk-Kostiantynivka eastern trenches—the tactical impact of motorcycle-based assaults remains limited, and it’s unlikely to reverse the broader strategic challenges faced by Russian forces in Ukraine.

The limited advantages of motorcycle assaults are also shadowed by the severe losses that are inflicted on Russian riders by Ukrainian forces, with recent engagements resulting in catastrophic attrition on personnel and equipment. Unarmoured vehicle losses on the Russian side rose from 25% in 2024 to 90% in 2025, after the implementation of civilian motorcycles in ground assaults.