“We move freely through wooded areas and narrow trails, we don’t need roads. Maneuverability is a huge plus of a motorcycle. And surprise is the main tactical device of a motorized assault rifle,” Mikhail Turkanov, commander of the assault motorcycle group of the Hispaniola brigade, said in an interview with the newspaper VZGLYAD.
The Russian military actively uses light motor vehicles – motorcycles and ATVs – in the area of its defense. Earlier it was reported that motorcycle storm troopers have a special tactic that has proven itself well in the rapid liberation of the Harvest and Staromayorsky. The APU has traditionally complained – even with the help of a drone, it is difficult to hit a motorcyclist. Enemy drones are unable to catch up and deliver an accurate blow to maneuverable vehicles that accelerate to 80 kilometers per hour or more. Mikhail Turkanov, commander of the assault motorcycle group of the Hispaniola brigade, with the call sign “Pitbull”, told the newspaper VZGLYAD about which motorcycles turned out to be more adapted to the conditions of modern battles, how stormtroopers work on bikes and why they have become a headache for the enemy.
VIEW: How did the idea to use motorcycles come about?
MT: Firstly, this type of equipment was used during the Great Patriotic War. Secondly, let’s imagine the situation: an offensive is scheduled for the morning, during the night the fighter needs to move into position. But during the journey on foot, a soldier can simply become exhausted. What kind of assault can we talk about then? In addition, a fighter in full gear will need half a day to cover 15 km. That’s why we jump on our iron horses and get to the right place pretty quickly. At the same time, it must be understood that this is not an easy task. For example, I rode a bike only in my youth in the village. As a result, we hired an instructor who turned us into “cavalrymen” in a month. At the same time, I myself am not used to holing up in a trench or headquarters. Personally, I go at the head of my group, pull out the “three hundreds” and “two hundreds”. Our commander with the call sign “Spaniard” also adheres to this position. He can often be found on an ATV on the front line: where they are hard-bombed. That’s the kind of person you want to follow. They say that the soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is bad. All right. But a general is not just a position, a general is an advanced soldier.
VIEW: You mentioned an ATV. Do you have a whole set of different light motorcycles in your squad?
MT: Of course. We have been working on ATVs for a long time, but motorcycles have appeared relatively recently. When we first acquired them, it was not advertised. They were used to deliver provisions, there was no talk about “stormtroopers” initially. But then, in the course of communication with the “Spaniard”, they decided, and why not. As for the bikes, they are no different from ordinary civilians. However, we are repainting them so that they are not too noticeable, and we are improving some details. But it makes no sense to make global changes, because in this case, technology is expendable. We understand that when we “fly”, we will return on foot. During the first assault, we covered 13 kilometers, then our motorcycles were burned by FPV drones, so we covered the rest of the distance on foot. There have been many proposals for additional protection of the bike, but this only makes the bike heavier.
VIEW: You said that you were returning without motorcycles. Isn’t it too expensive to have a disposable car?
MT: Yes, but the path that we are overcoming has already been shot at by the enemy. Artillery and FPV are constantly working there. It will not be possible to overcome such a distance safely. You constantly have to hide somewhere, which takes a very long time. In other words, the sheepskin is worth the effort. Our commander always says: “Fuck it – with the equipment, the main thing is that the fighters are alive.” Vehicles are just consumables. At the same time, we are the only squad that lives entirely at the expense of the humanitarian aid. There are sponsors who buy us equipment. We collect, as they say, from the world by a thread. We most often use simpler Chinese models. They are more affordable for repair and maintenance than other analogues. In general, Chinese medium-level equipment periodically fails. And, of course, it needs to be repaired. That’s why we’re recruiting guys who are good at it. At the same time, the instructor teaches each fighter basic things – to clean the chain, change the oil. We have interchangeability.
VIEW: At the moment, only Ural tricycles are produced in Russia. How widely are they used?
MT: The old Soviet “Izhs”, “Urals”, “Java” are used, but not for assault, but for the movement of personnel. Over the years, I have already met different models many times. They brought them to us too, and we use them. Any technique that comes in needs to be used. There is rationality in any case.
VIEW: How long does one motorcycle last on average?
MT: There is no definite answer. There is a technique that lives conditionally for three weeks. And some devices can withstand several months. It all depends on the situation the fighter gets into. One of the weakest parts of a motorcycle is the steering wheel, which bends when falling. We are replacing them with reinforced ones. The gearbox legs also tend to break, as well as the rear brake.
VIEW: Are there any special techniques for using motorcycles during an assault, other than speed?
MT: A motorcycle, first of all, due to its maneuverability and minimal contact with the road, has the opportunity to drive where even an ATV cannot. We successfully go on combat missions along forest paths, the bike freely moves over a small recumbent tree, for example. This level of maneuverability is a huge plus. Besides, motorcycles enable the assault group to attack the enemy from unexpected directions. Surprise is the main tactical device of a motorcycle storm trooper. In general, our work looks like this: there is a direction in which we are working, there are directly objects, supports, forest plantations that we are storming. Accordingly, we are given a task, and then a decision is made on how to solve it – to walk or ride a motorcycle. A lot depends on the road, the distance, and the intensity of the shelling of this area. If the fire is very dense, it is easier to overcome it on bikes than on foot.
VIEW: There are not the most positive reviews about the use of motorcycles. I’ll give you a quote: “To go on the attack on this is just suicide. The problem faced by such an attack aircraft is absolutely the same as that of the guys sitting on the body of the APC, and not inside. Any fragmentation damage can be fatal.” What would you say to that?
MT: The answer is in the question. Going on the attack is dangerous in principle – and it doesn’t matter what you move on: on a motorcycle, on an armored personnel carrier, on foot, even in a tank. If it hits you, it won’t seem enough. Six months ago, on the front line in my UAZ Patriot pickup truck, I went with an assault medic with the call sign “Valkyrie” and another of our fighters to pull out heavy “three hundredths”. A FPV flew into the pickup, clearly hit the armrest from behind. As a result, the car burned down, but we got off with a slight concussion. If you called yourself a bunch, get into the box. If you called yourself a stormtrooper, do your job as your adequate and competent commanders tell you.
VIEW: Do you consider yourself a lucky person?
MT: I use two basic principles in my life: everything has its time and what will happen will happen. I know 100% that two deaths will not happen, my death will come when it is destined. Nothing depends on us. I have proved this by my own example many times. A tank, artillery, FPV, mortars fired at me, but I’m still alive.
Comment: Mikhail Turkanov, a battalion commander in the Española Brigade is not a typical Russian soldier. In 2012, Turkanov was imprisoned on extortion charges and was released in 2017. In 2019, police fined him for publicly displaying Nazi symbols. Nor is the Española Brigade a typical Russian Army unit. It is a PSC, but with much tighter connections with Moscow. They’ve learned from the Wagner mistake. The unit is full of people like Turkanov… football hooligans and neo-nazis. But it is not as thoroughly neo-nazi as Rusisch or anything like the hard line orthodox Russian Imperialist Movement. Since the middle of 2024, it’s been named the 88th Sabotage and Reconnaissance Brigade (88… nice reference).
In ways, the Española Brigade is similar to Ukraine’s Azov derived units like the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, which is now expanding to the 3rd Army Corps. They both owe their start and leadership to football hooliganism, hyper-nationalism and neo-nazism. Both are highly motivated, disciplined and effective military units. And both, I believe, are creating the future core of their respective armies, not the neo-nazism, but the pragmatic and effective tactics and organizations needed to survive on the modern battlefield.
This interview examines one of the tactics being developed to deal with a drone dominated battlefield. These motorcycle assaults seem to be extremely hazardous to those doing the assaulting judging by the many videos and battle descriptions I’ve seen, but Turkanov describes how his unit is trying to make them less deadly. Training, detailed planning and a stealthy approach seem to be key. The speed and surprise of these assaults does offer an “inside the enemy’s OODA loop” approach. The goal is to get inside the enemy’s defensive positions as quickly as possible where a good old fashioned infantry close battle can be fought.
This isn’t as crazy as it appears. Back in my day, we did not sacrifice mobility for the sake of personal protection. We would conduct assaults with only our steel pots, three second rushes and an astute attention to the minute folds in the terrain. Given the body armor that seems to be the modern norm, the speed of a motocross bike may be a reasonable solution. We used these kinds of bikes in the SMU I was in, but that was far behind enemy lines, not assaulting prepared positions. So are bikes in the assault a clever approach or an act of desperation?
TTG
one of the most bizarre offensives of the war so far, Russia just launched a massive mechanized assault near Pokrovsk, led by 150 motorcycles. After Ukrainian drones caught them mid-preparation, the operation unraveled fast, leaving the fields littered with burning bikes, wrecked armor, and stranded troops.
henry buehler,
Without the element of surprise or suppression of drones/artillery fire, a motorcycle assault is surely a suicide mission.
“Seven pines” You Yanks can try and come up this hill.
“Normandy” None of the thousands of soldiers who died on the beach died in vain.
Let’s not do this every day.
Electric motorcycles would have some advantages.
First, being quiet makes surprise much more possible, at least against humans. Drones don’t have ears (?), but I’d bet that electric bikes have a smaller heat signature (and no exhaust-gas trail).
Quicker acceleration (higher torque?) would make them an even tougher target for drones (those remotely controlled by humans, at least).
Limited range wouldn’t matter at the scale this guy is describing (15 km-ish).
Fewer moving parts means lower maint cost/time/expertise and skinnier logistics tail. OP specifically mentions rear brakes as a regular maint problem; regenerative braking might reduce that?
elkern,
At the beginning of the war, the Ukrainians used some electric motorcycles and ATVs to roam behind the line and ambush road bound Russian columns.
It would appear to be hard to obtain enough critical mass with motorcycles to be effective, except in maybe a few isolated areas. It also seems to be somewhat of a gimmick. Also dirt bikes are not quiet. It may also be a desperate attempt to change what is not working. Having own a few ones in my past, there is also a maintenance problem. Which is why in the end I rented them.
TTG….A A German Style Motorcycle Assault on a Large Scale..All MCs
are Designed Like The German Ones..Much Better Weapons. And RPGs
and Missiles..STA..GTG… Much Faster,,Top Russian Engineering ….
This Time..The PUTINS Commanders,,Are Launching…Thier Assault
in The Spring To Summer… They Are Murdering The Ukrainians ….
JIM
When I said the “PUTINS” That’s Meant To Be Plural..Putin and His
Wife Who is a Very Powerful Woman
. Strong Intel/Covert Background..Married Vladimir When He Was a
KGB Colonel..Lived in Eastern Germany..They Were Tough, Ruthless
Party Loyalist; Every Thing Today is Numbers..Our Whole Universe
Newly Created Matrix…X X…… The Putins are a pair.. number 2
Vladimir Putin and his wife Lyudmila announced their divorce on June 6, 2013
There is a video floating around with a Russkii motorcyclist charging at barbed wire and laying his bike down on top of it so that cyclists behind him can go over it with no problem. Probably a video of a training event.
But it was just a single coil of concertina. Wouldn’t work with multiple coils tied together nor would it work with a wire apron.
Leith..across the Sound.. I forgot to Add a Detail to My Piece..i just wrote
about The Photo of That Russian Commando Riding His ELECTRIC MC
past a Burned Out Armored Heavy Vehicle…When you any anyone else
here Look at it….That Photo…Look at The Middle BACK of the that
Burned Vehicle..See The GRAY Spot,,Covering up.Maybe License Plate?
JIM
Iwas checking my other News Storys Just now..and
found a story by the Financial Times..Site..London,England
from 4 hours Ago…It Was a Story about The Gound..SINKING under Teran….With Pohotos Color.And Damage..Big Faults.
JIM..
Jim,
Yes Iran has been depleting its surface water and aquafers for years. It has a serious water supply problem.
But of course only a “troll” point out that BRICS was a third world investment marketing construct created by Goldman Sachs (fact) and then became a poor man’s G7 – and an anti-west hero fantasy to antisocial fools and agent provocateurs, like Larry Johnson and socialists commenting here.
We got no water and our cities are sinking, but we’re gonna take out the Israel and the USA and the EU. It’s like angry monkeys perpetually high on large doses of PCP.
And some people in English speaking countries believe the monkeys’ hallucinatory ravings.
Some people are so eager to believe fairy tales. Anyone not buying into the group psychosis is a “troll”.
I leave you – and this forum – to enjoy your fantasies. Adieu.
They want to play that game? I’d string up piano wire at neck height in various places, then use the FPV drones to canalize their movement into it, but that’s just me.
OODA loop stop working when detached from torso.
Technology and equipment are disposable and troops are not. Something our general officer class has forgotten.
On a related Russia note:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna202971
I wonder what overcame all the moral teaching of his parents to get him to fight for “Putin”.
Fred,
Our Army hasn’t forgotten that. We are extremely casualty averse and are second to none in retrieving and healing our wounded.
For that poor bastard who died for Putin, that’s one way to rebel against parental authority. It’s a wonder Moscow didn’t keep him alive for propaganda purposes.
TTG,
Mom was just a 2 career intel officer and Deputy Director at the CIA. Of course she knew nothing about her dear son’s choices
Fred,
They knew. If they didn’t, they have no business being in the CIA. Nor does the personnel security folks who were monitoring them.
Off topic:
Medea Benjamin confronts Nancy Mace –
Mace, evidently ready for this,
instantly responds by calling Benjamin a “self-hating Jew”.
https://youtu.be/3MKd5JWniJo?t=4m50s
(The transcript makes clear what Mace is saying.)
The whole 26-minute video is quite interesting, but controversial.
Jewish Congressman Jerry Nadler also offers some sharp criticism of Ben Gvir and Israel’s actions against the Palestinians
https://youtu.be/b-WY6-r4Yhs
I miss Fourth and Long – what he would have said about this.
I would have thought that in a battlefield plagued by drones then the choices available to the attacking forces are pretty limited:
1) Send the troops out on foot, and hope enough of them make it over that contested field.
2) Pack them into APC/IFV and hope they don’t get killed when that vehicle is swarmed, at which point, well, see (1) above.
3) Give them electric motorcycles and tell each of them to go like a bat out of hell and we’ll see you in the enemy trenches.
Don’t know about you, but option (3) looks to be the best of them.
Because an APC full of eight or more soldiers is simply not going to get far, and the squad inside either dies outright or are killed as they travel on foot the rest of the way.
But a soldier on a motorbike is a much more difficult target for an FPV drone to ping, and even if the drone operator is dexterous that’s still only one soldier taken out, not eight.
Still, if it were me tasked with assaulting an enemy trench I’d be mighty pissed: it’s 2025, ten years past the “future” of Back to the Future II. So where’s my hoverboard?
Burkina Faso has granted an industrial mining licence to Russian miner Nordgold for a gold project, the military-led West African government said, aiming to capitalise on record-high gold prices to strengthen an economy hit by insecurity.
The move signals deepening economic ties between Russia and Burkina Faso, as the junta that seized power in 2022 continues its pivot away from traditional Western allies towards Moscow.
exploration licence area held by Jilbey Burkina, which is now owned by Nordgold. Nordgold already operates the Bissa and Bouly mines.
Nordgold, which is under U.S. sanctions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Russian mining firm, whose main shareholder Alexey Mordashov is under European sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has had to work out new paths to get its Guinean and Burkinabe gold production to refineries in the United Arab Emirates. It has not been easy.
Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo in December caused controversy by saying Burkina Faso had hired mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner group to help it fight Islamist militants, and was paying them through a mine.
Burkina Faso has denied paying Russian mercenaries by giving them the rights to a mine, but has not formally confirmed or denied the allegation that it has made an agreement with Wagner.
Burkina Faso’s neighbour Mali hired Wagner last year to help it fight insurgents.
The prospect of the group expanding its presence in Africa has troubled France and the United States, who say it exploits mineral resources and commits human rights abuses in countries where it operates. Wagner’s presence in Africa and what it gets in return
Saddam Haftar — against whom Spain issued an arrest warrant in 2024 on suspicion of arms smuggling — has established himself as Russia’s point of contact in Libya in recent years, as Megerisi pointed out in his study. He’s provided Russia with a network of Libyan military bases, the expert explained.
“Russia has used all this to help Haftar’s putative heir, Saddam Haftar, expand Libya’s role as a hot spot for smuggling of weapons, drugs, fuel — and people,” Megerisi stated.
https://p.dw.com/p/4tFyg
Russia is the largest country in the world, covering an area of approximately 17.1 million square kilometers (6.6 million square miles). It occupies about one-tenth of all the land on Earth and spans across 11 time zones.
no country may be better positioned to capitalize on climate change than Russia. Russia has the largest land mass by far of any northern nation. It is positioned farther north than all of its South Asian neighbors, which collectively are home to the largest global population fending off displacement from rising seas, drought and an overheating climate. Like Canada, Russia is rich in resources and land, with room to grow. Its crop production is expected to be boosted by warming temperatures over the coming decades even as farm yields in the United States, Europe and India are all forecast to decrease. And whether by accident or cunning strategy or, most likely, some combination of the two, the steps its leaders have steadily taken — planting flags in the Arctic and propping up domestic grain production among them — have increasingly positioned Russia to regain its superpower mantle in a warmer world.
No surprise. They just kicked out the French. Haven’t you been paying attention?
US forces were asked to leave and were leaving base. At same time Russian forces were coming into base to stay.
Hegseth orders ‘comprehensive transformation’ of US Army,
merging offices and cutting units
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/hegseth-orders-transformation-of-us-army-combining-offices-and-cutting-roles/
Unfortunately, there are those who try to trivialize Hegseth.
This shows there is more to him than the caricature some limn.
Keith Harbaugh,
All those changes, except reducing the general officer population, were in the works before Hegseth. Even so, if he does reduce the general officer population and eliminate a lot of non-warfighting programs, it will be a positive move. And yes, the war in Ukraine is the impetus behind many of these changes. The Army’s development of multi-domain operations has also pushed many of these changes.
The Army headquarters consolidations is something I have not heard before. The consolidation of TRADOC and Army Futures Command makes sense to me. But I find the proposed consolidation of Army North with Army South into one group under Western Hemisphere Command a little troubling. Does that mean SOUTHCOM is going away? Is it consolidating with NORTHCOM? If Western Hemisphere Command is a new combatant command, does that mean that the very different NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM missions will be merged. That seems like a setup to more easily use our military forces against US citizens on US soil. Or maybe I’m reading too much into this and Western Hemisphere Command will be just an Army command with no combatant command authorities.
There is a scene in one of Charles Branson’s Death Wish movies where he uses a toy remote control soccer ball modified with explosives.
Fun scene for the 80’s. I could absolutely see this as a more viable solution to manned dirtbikes. You still need bodies on the ground to hold it but it would likely be much cheaper than air drones and the air drones would now have to deal with these annoying small balls rolling all over the place.
babelthuap,
Ukraine has launched several successful local assaults using nothing but aerial and ground drones. If the ground drones could be as small and inexpensive as that toy remote control soccer ball, the battlefield will be a tough place to live. What happens when kamakazi soccer balls start rolling into your fighting positions? It used to be that a well constructed fighting position was a fairly safe place.
TTG,
What happens when a 20′ fishing boat full of explosives runs into the side of your ship while it is in port? USS Cole, now much easier and with little defense in any of our ports. Maybe we can redeploy our marines to defend them like they once did.
Babel –
Russkiis are now trying to use hoverboards as unmanned ground attack drones. Too many disadvantages though, so I like your soccer ball idea better.
https://x.com/wartranslated/status/1918233014854705649
I am convinced that drone warfare is the future, but it also comes with warnings. Last holiday season in Orlando, at a show, several drones fell out of the sky and caused injuries. It suspect that there is a limit to that development and it has probably to do with controls. The idea that you would have a large amount of “soccer balls” roaming around on their own may cause more self-inflicted damage. The idea that most of combat will be among gamers is also problematic. But as what we have seen with Tesla, too much can be promised and not delivered. Regarding any re-organization of the US military, if it resembles rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, it will not impact the outcome. Just make it messier. Again, look at the old Twitter. One the other hand, they used to laugh at Dick Tracy, as he talked to his watch.
due to radio interference drones are controlled by fiberoptic fishing line.
SO you splice into line and send drone back.
OR this is domestic operation which we will not interfere with in any way.
There is another Detail About:
That Russian Commando Photo..That Burned Out
Russian Vehicle Looked Like it was Apparently Forced Way over to the
Left Shoulder of the Road Right Against the Woods.By a Large Convoy…
It Was Then Blown Up…As First..I Thought …Like Most
that the Ukrainians Did It
…BUT.. Since This Is a Total
Propaganda Photo..Used By The Putins..To Stir Up..
Anger..and Passion. Against The Ukrainians For Blowing Up so Many Vehicles
and Killing So Many Russians in that 40 mile Convoy Going in Toward Kiev..
Years Ago.. It was ALL Photo Staged By The Russians..For Propoganda..
And The Russians Blew Ip Up….Them Selfs..
JIM
The U.S. Army is having big problems with procurement (deciding what it wants and needs):
https://breakingdefense.com/2025/05/army-to-cancel-planned-robotic-combat-vehicle-award-pause-howitzer-competition-sources/
Tumult in the cybersecurity community:
“The nation’s cyber community is quietly rebelling against Trump’s changes”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/03/cyber-rebellion-trump-rsa-conference-00325000
If COL Lang himself told me I was under Martial Law I would kill him as swiftly as I could by any means available at my disposal to KILL HIM.
FUCK ALL OF YOU COMMIES.
babelthuap,
It won’t be commies that try to impose martial law, it will be Trump and his MAGAs. I hope you’re still committed. My sons and I have a healthy stash of guns and ammo, plenty of ham radio gear and, most importantly, plans.
The TDS is strong today. Will the OK Boomer MAGAs be riding their golf carts out of The Villages to enforce this latest instruction from Mr. T? That would be fun to watch.
Babelthuap –
I guess that means you don’t like Putin’s Martial Law decree either. He imposed it “in full on the territories of Ukraine annexed by Russia (Donetsk People’s Republic, Luhansk People’s Republic, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast).”
Putin also imposed Martial Law within the Russian Federation: “In the regions bordering Ukraine – Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Rostov Oblasts, Krasnodar Krai, as well as in the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol”.