The Russian military is likely preparing to systemically integrate motorcycles into offensive operations in Ukraine during summer and fall 2025, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its April 26 report, citing footage from the Russian Defense Ministry.
While Ukraine presses for an unconditional ceasefire, in line with proposals from the U.S., Russia continues to reject the terms and has reportedly intensified its offensive operations across the front line.
The Russian Defense Ministry on April 26 published footage showing troops at a training ground practicing offensive and defensive tactics on motorcycles, indicating plans to develop "a tactical doctrine for systematic offensive motorcycle usage," ISW analysts said.
The footage showed groups of two to three people practicing tactics on motorcycles. According to the ISW, Russia may be planning to issue an increased number of motorcycles to front-line units fighting in Ukraine.
Pavlo Shamshyn, a spokesperson for Ukraine's operational-tactical group "Kharkiv," also said on April 26 that Russia is planning to carry out assaults on motorcycles in the coming months.
"Our intelligence records the fact that in training centers on the territory of the Russian Federation and in the units themselves, active training of motorcycle drivers is taking place, and all this indicates that the assault operations of spring-summer 2025 will be carried out on motorcycles," Shamshyn told the news outlet Suspilne.
Motorcycles lend speed and maneuverability to Russian forces, allowing them to more effectively evade Ukrainian drone attacks, Shamshyn said, but their loud noise can also prevent motorcycle drivers from hearing approaching drones.
Russia is increasingly conducting assaults involving motorcycles and using motorcycles to transport personnel, the ISW said. The trend is likely an adaptation to Ukrainian drone tactics and a result of Russia's high armored vehicle losses in 2024.
Russian forces have made incremental gains on multiple sectors of the front since the launch of its spring offensive, but military experts say the battlefield situation is not desperate enough to force Kyiv into an unfavorable peace deal with Moscow.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 26 reiterated his hope for a "full and unconditional ceasefire" after meeting with U.S. President Trump at the Vatican.
Asami Terajima
(Updated: )
