5th Brigade Repels Motorcycle Attack in Kramatorsk Direction

27 January, 2025 Assault motorcycle group Russia. Photo: 5th Brigade The units of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade repelled a Russian motorcycle assault in the Kramatorsk direction.

A video of the Russian soldiers' destruction was posted by the press service on the brigade's official Facebook page. The enemy engaged a motorcycle group (four crossbikes) in the assault, which, relying on their speed, planned to bypass the positions of Ukrainian defenders unnoticed and quickly and strike from an unexpected direction. However, the enemy's plan failed when they were detected by the brigade's aerial reconnaissance, which targeted the group.

First, artillery with cluster munitions fired at the enemy, but the attack did not cause serious damage, so they continued to move along the chosen route. Next, FPV drones were sent to intercept the motorcycle group, and the first hit hit a Russian soldier. All the others stopped and started looking for cover.

The enemy did not stop there and sent an additional motorcycle group and a tank, which were also successfully engaged by the defenders. Despite the relative ease of defeating crossbikes, their use is sometimes quite successful, as it allows them to move much faster and be less visible, unlike armored vehicles.

The moment of destruction of a Russian cross bike with a military FPV drone. Photo credits: 5th Brigade

When using them with small assault groups, the enemy achieves some success, although most such attempts end in additional losses.

Militarnyi previously reported that on January 14, 2025, the Russian military had conducted five massive assaults on the positions of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade "Edelweiss" in the Siverskyi direction, using the tactics of rapid attacks on motorcycles along with a classic mechanized offensive on armored vehicles. In total, during the failed operation, the Russians lost 52 people killed and 12 more wounded. In addition, the soldiers of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade captured one invader, which was shown on video.

Motorcycle assaults by the invaders

Motorcycles and ATVs have been used by both sides of the war for years to transport goods and even evacuate the wounded.

However, the attempts to use them as assault vehicles were noticed by the Russian military only last spring. The choice of the motorcycles for attacks is explained by the tightening of Ukrainian defense and the saturation of the ranks with anti-tank systems and attack drones, which made it impossible to use classic mechanized attacks due to the destruction of armored vehicles several kilometers before the target. Unlike large and slow armored columns, assault groups on motorcycles are less visible to aerial reconnaissance and can overcome the "dead zone" between their starting positions and the enemy's defense line in a short time.

In other words, the calculation is made primarily on the long reaction time of artillery and FPV drone operators, during which the group can seize positions and take up defense.

The tactical actions of the "new cavalry" are extremely risky for the Russian infantryman and are characterized by high losses, but they give the command of the Russian Armed Forces a working tool for breaking down defenses in modern battlefield conditions.