Russian assault troops fighting in Ukraine may soon find themselves on horseback. According to the newspaper Kommersant, the Russian army is attempting to revive full-fledged cavalry units.”
Sporadic cases of Russian soldiers using horses and donkeys to carry supplies on the front lines have been reported previously. However, as Kommersant notes, this use of horse-drawn transport has been chalked up to improvisation in the field. Russia’s experimentation with full-fledged cavalry units is “in many ways symbolic,” the newspaper writes, “as it reflects the impasse that modern technology has reached on an electronically overloaded front.”
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Kommersant cited a Russia Today interview with the commander of a “Storm” special forces unit, who told the state television channel that his troops are already learning horseback riding. The training is based on the assumption that a horse’s “instincts” make the animals less likely to step on landmines and more capable of navigating in the dark and in off-road conditions.
“The tactic involves two men riding on a single horse: one steers and the other provides fire cover. Upon arrival at the assault site, both fighters dismount and take the next enemy stronghold,” the commander said, as quoted by Kommersant.
Unlike military vehicles, horses are both extremely agile on off-road trails and far less likely to activate landmines with magnetic triggers. As Kommersant points out, this could provide a real advantage in mobility and stealth on difficult terrain. However, the weight of a horse could still trigger anti-personnel mines. Additionally, horses require training and feeding, and have a much lower load capacity than vehicles. As such, the newspaper speculates that the Russian military is unlikely to deploy horses in battle on a large scale.
“Overall, the attempt to bring horses back to the modern battlefield is largely symbolic,” Kommersant underscores. “In armed conflicts that have become arenas for showcasing technological innovations, participants are once again forced to rely on basic tools — from analog telephone lines to pack animals and carts — when modern technologies prove vulnerable.”
Russian soldiers have previously been documented using alternative means of transport on the front line, including all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, e-scooters, and even electric unicycles. However, according to Russian state media, these have only been used in isolated cases.
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