One of the new things that the invasion of Ukraine to the battlefield is the widespread use of FPV dronesa technology aimed at the consumer market, as an offensive weapon. Its role is proving fundamental, something that no one would have imagined three years ago. Now, another consumer electronics product is being unexpectedly used in the war: electric scooters.
A recent video posted on social media shows Russian soldiers using electric scooters off-road vehicles while maneuvering on a cratered road during an assault on Toretskan industrial city in eastern Ukraine. It is not something that can be considered ‘mechanized infantry’, but the soldiers were able to move to the front while avoiding obstacles with greater speed than they would have running.
According to Interesting Engineering, it is not clear whether the scooters were supplied to the Russian troops or whether the soldiers themselves obtained them in a nearby city. Electric scooters, like in many other countries, have gained popularity in Russia in recent years. Last year they sold up to 245,000while in cities such as Moscow and Saint Petersburg, electric scooter rentals have seen notable growth.
The use of scooters by Russian soldiers comes just weeks after one was used to kill a senior Russian military officer outside his Moscow apartment. In mid-December, Russian Lt. Gen. Igor Kirilovhead of the Radiological, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces, left the building when a scooter loaded with explosives and parked next to the entrance exploded and killed him. The SBU, Security Service of Ukraine, assured that he was a ‘legitimate target’ and accused him of carrying out war crimes.
Despite the striking images, it is difficult for commercial scooters to become as common as FPV drones in the Ukrainian war or in other conflicts. Even current off-road models require a relatively flat path to travelnot to mention that on the front lines charging stations are not plentiful.