Amid mounting equipment losses on the battlefield, the Russian military is increasingly resorting to unconventional means of transportation, including civilian vehicles, tractors and even horses, as it continues its offensive operations in Ukraine.
According to multiple reports, including Forbes and The Telegraph, Russian mechanized regiments are losing approximately 6,000 armored vehicles annually. Reserves were depleted by the end of 2024, while new production failed to keep up with losses.
The imbalance between vehicle losses and production has led Russian forces to deploy civilian cars, such as Ladas, and agricultural tractors, to the front lines.
Ukrainian soldiers continue to report about Russian attacks on the frontline positions on civilian vehicles. In this cases – Lada Priora and Tavria. https://t.co/DLAfpvFcrb pic.twitter.com/EWM2rBr59d
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) November 22, 2024
Out of tanks? No problem! The russian army is switching to alternative vehicles: stolen tractors, combat-ready harvesters, and DIY armored cars.
Now, instead of BMPs, they have “BTR-Belarus Traktor”, and instead of T-90s, it’s “Traktor-150s” pic.twitter.com/i3clt0AHua
— Meanwhile in Ukraine (@MeanwhileInUA) January 31, 2025
Videos shared on X revealed soldiers riding horses across the muddy Ukrainian landscape. In the past few days, additional footage has emerged of Russian soldiers with donkeys, which Russian sources say are being used to transport equipment.
“World’s second army” in all its glory. Rolling back to the times of the Russian Empire – complete with cavalry and drafting representatives of national minorities as cannon fodder.
These soldiers are from the Republic of Sakha, a region incredibly rich in natural resources.… pic.twitter.com/FNFQoioT2S
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 4, 2025
In the last couple of days, there have been numerous videos appearing of Russian soldiers who have donkeys at their disposal. According to Russian sources, they have begun to be given to some units as pack animals.
https://t.co/Su96hBedkw pic.twitter.com/dUpBtGwOMw— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) February 5, 2025
Open-source intelligence analysts estimate that Russia has lost over 15,000 armored vehicles and heavy combat equipment since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Russian war correspondent Roma Sapozhnikov criticized the state of military logistics and production, blaming industrial managers for failing to replenish armored vehicle stocks. “The feeling is that those responsible for rearming the army with [armored fighting vehicles] and tanks have frozen and abstracted themselves from the problems of the front,” said Sapozhnikov.
While Russian losses are significant, they continue advancing in regions where Ukrainian defenses are undermanned due to personnel shortages, according to reports.
“Russian forces are sustaining heavy losses, with tens of thousands of active cases of AWOL and desertion documented across multiple units. However, they continue advancing in multiple areas where Ukrainian defenses are stretched thin due to manpower shortages and where Russia has been able to concentrate superior numbers,” the Ukrainian analysis group Frontelligence Insight said.
