Kathrine Frich
The strategy relies entirely on speed and deception.
War zones often bring to mind massive tanks and heavy artillery rumbling across muddy fields.
Yet military commanders constantly search for cheaper and faster ways to sneak past the front lines.
Sometimes the newest battlefield tactic arrives on two wheels instead of tracks.
Two wheeled infiltration
Russian forces are adopting a bizarre new method to claim territory in their ongoing conflict. Instead of using heavy armor, they send tiny squads deep into Ukrainian zones riding imported electric bikes.
These quick rides allow Moscow to project an image of military success. Even when the reality on the ground tells a very different story, the photographs look good to their superiors.
According to the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita cited by Onet, a Ukrainian commander pointed out this exact shift. He noted that the invading troops, “if they attack at all, only on Chinese electric motorcycles.”
A fatal photo op
The strategy relies entirely on speed and deception. One or two riders speed past the main fighting lines and locate an empty town.
Once there, the soldiers hang a Russian flag on a prominent building. Then they snap a quick photo for their commanders and run.
The American think tank Institute for the Study of War tracked this development. As reported by Rzeczpospolita, the researchers stated that “Russia widely uses the tactic of infiltrating (the Ukrainian hinterland) in small groups. Therefore, even in Ukrainian-controlled areas, Russian soldiers may be present”.
Onet News reported that these stunts rarely end well for the riders. Most of the men who attempt these daring missions die in the process, which explains why the infiltration squads keep getting smaller.
Striking deep inside
Ukrainian forces are pushing back from the air. Kyiv is launching massive retaliatory strikes.
On Wednesday, a drone attack hit a historical museum in the annexed region of Crimea, leaving the roof of the building completely in flames.
Further east, a major state owned oil facility in the Samara Oblast also caught fire. The massive hub processes roughly 177,000 barrels of crude oil every single day.
These strikes cause panic. Air raid sirens recently sounded in distant Siberian cities, proving that the conflict is now reaching far beyond the front lines.
Sources: Onet News, Rzeczpospolita, Institute for the Study of War
