Before Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago, few would have expected the role that small drones and other unmanned aerial systems (UAS) would play on the modern battlefield. However, another popular civilian product of the twenty-first century is now being employed in an unexpected way.

Enter the charge of the electric shooter!

According to a report from Interesting Engineering, "Russian soldiers were filmed using off-road electric scooters to maneuver through the damaged roads during an assault on Toretsk, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine."

The soldiers were able to use the scooters to move rapidly to the front, dodging caters and debris in the roadway. While not exactly "mechanized infantry," the reports suggest the troops were able to move more quickly over a short distance than if they ran.

Scooters in Russia

It is unclear if the scooters were provided to the Russian troops or obtained by the individual soldiers in a nearby city. Electric scooters, which have been a bane or a blessing for many Americans in urban centers, have surged in popularity in Russia.

As many as 245,000 were sold last year, and in Moscow and St. Petersburg, e-scooter rentals have seen remarkable growth—with many residents using them for daily transport instead of cars and taxis in the summer months. However, the quick uptick has resulted in a marked increase in accidents, which led to calls for a ban last year.

Other European cities—with Paris taking the lead in September 2023—have pushed for bans on electric scooters on roads and sidewalks.

Last Month's "Scooter Bomb"

The use of scooters by the Russian soldiers comes just weeks after one was used to kill a top Russian military officer outside his apartment in Moscow.

In mid-December, as Russian Lt. Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, was leaving the building, a scooter packed with explosives exploded, killing the high-ranking officer. So common is the sight of electric scooters on the streets and sidewalks of Moscow that Kirillov likely never gave the seemingly abandoned item outside his apartment building's entryway a second thought—if he noticed it at all.

Ukraine's SBU security service described the general as a " legitimate target," and accused him of carrying out war crimes. That may increase the calls for scooters to be banned, and perhaps Moscow will then send the devices to the front.

History of Using Technology of the Day

It is doubtful that commercially-made scooters will become as common as drones in the war in Ukraine or even in other conflicts. For one thing, even the current rugged "off-road" scooters require a well-traveled, reasonably level path to travel on—and second, charging stations aren't readily available at the front.

However, necessity remains the mother of invention, and soldiers need a way to get to the front quickly. That explains why last summer, another video circulated online that showed around half a dozen golf carts rushing Russian infantry to the front!

It is a reminder that more than a century ago, rumors circulated that French soldiers were "rushed to the front" at the Battle of the Marne in Parisian taxicabs. The story quickly took on legendary status, and in 2014, the French government even honored the centennial of the "Taxis of the Marne" with a parade of ten taxis from the era. The truth is that only about 4,000 of the French 6th Army's 150,000 men rode in taxis—the bulk arrived at the Marne by train.

Yet, less than two years later, 5,000 American troops under the command of General John J. Pershing were sent across the Mexican border in pursuit of Mexican bandit/revolutionary Pancho Villa. Ford trucks carried many of the men on the expedition.

"It was the first time that trucks and aircraft were used in American combat operations," Curbside Classic reported. It wasn't the last, and trucks continue to play a vital role in moving men and materiel. A shortage of Russian trucks has been seen as a problem on par with Russia's shortage of tanks and aircraft.

Later the same year that Pershing used trucks in Mexico, the first tanks rolled into action at the Battle of Somme in September 2016, so maybe in the future we could see some form of militarized scooter take shape. If ordered into action, riding a scooter might beat taking the "shoe leather express."

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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