Russian Survival Guide For Mad Max Motorbike Assaults

Russian assaults are increasingly relying on motorcycle troops to get close to Ukrainian lines. According to the Daily Telegraph, up to 25% of Russian attackers now arrive on two wheels, and the scale of attacks has increased with one action involving over 100 bike troops . Now the Russians are sharing advice on social media on how to survive this death race 2025 as Ukrainian drones zero in on them.

Sometimes enough troops make it to positions close to Ukrainian lines to storm defensive positions and gain a few more yards of ground. Generally though they fail, and either way most of the participants usually die – hence the need for tips to increase the survival rate.

The Deadly Logic Of The Motorcycle Charge

Motorbike assaults have a certain brutal logic behind them. Armored vehicles, the standard for assaults since WWII, are no longer survivable. They get spotted by scout drones and destroyed by FPVs miles before they can reach the front line. Soldiers on foot are more dispersed and harder to spot, but too slow. Motorbikes can make it, if they are quick enough – but there will always be heavy casualties, not something which seems to trouble Russian commanders.

“Your motorcycle is speed, but not armor. A mistake is death,” advises a post on the Russian Telegram channel ‘Rambo School’ highlighted by OSINT analyst Roy. “Race or die.”

The post goes on to explain the chief threat is from FPV attack drones with a top speed of 90-120 mph which stay in the air for “5-10 minutes”.

The drones’ main limitations are the radio signal and visibility, and Rambo School advises that understanding these is the key to survival.

Paved and straight roads are dangerous, as are open fields. Dirt tracks, forests and ravines are safer.

Rambo School advises to watch out for scout drones, as the FPVs are likely to arrive within 30-90 seconds of seeing one. Watch out also for birds taking off abruptly, a sign that an FPV might be flying nearby. Also watch out for ambush drones parked by the side of the road, which take off when a target approached. Mainly though “a sharp screech from above or behind” is the most common indication that an FPV has found you.

‘Don’t Slow Down – Death’

The guide advises that there is a “three second rule” and a biker who does not react fully in 3-5 seconds has no chance.

When an FPV if closing in, the rider needs to immediately go full throttle and start snaking, making sharp turns of 15-30° . The idea is that the drones tend to have a fairly narrow field of view, so a sharp maneuver will take the rider off the drone operator’s screen so they fly past and, hopefully, have trouble finding the motorcycle again.

Braking is considered fatal “Don’t slow down — death”

The rider is advised to dump any backpack – quick release is advised — and concentrate on survival. If they have a partner, the rider should shout ‘Drone!’ and the two should head off on different directions: “FPV will select a target. The second one leaves.”

The best way of surviving is to find some cover, preferably trees or other vegetation, but buildings may work. Snaking between trees or buildings may cause the drone to crash – the post cites examples where riders claim to have survived this way. Driving directly into bushes or canopy can be a life saver, but also has its risks.

The chance of survival is much better if the routes has been thoroughly scouted out in advance, and ‘diving points’ where bikes can escape identified. Rambo School also suggests painting bikes a matte color to make them less visible and lighter bikes rather than heavier ones.

Overall though, they say that the biker has to “Be smarter, meaner and faster than the operator on the other end of the antenna.”

This is good advice, although from the available videos it may not make that much difference Increasing the rider’s chance of survival from 10% to 20% may be a strategic help but is not much consolation to those on the front line.

Because the key aspect here is the stakes. If the drone operator loses, they swear and launch another $500 FPV. If the biker loses, they die.

Evolution In Action

We are seeing warfare evolving in real time. After some attempts to increase armor protection and send infantry forward in ‘turtle tanks’ there has been a shift to lighter faster vehicles including ATVs, quad bikes, golf buggies and motorbikes. These appear to be slightly more survivable, although the casualty rate is so high no Western army would contemplate such tactics.

However, evolution applies to both sides. At present, the Ukrainians do not seem to think that bikes are a serious enough threat to merit specialist weapons to counter them. If bike assaults become more successful, expect to see some kind of dedicates anti-biker drones. These are likely to feature a wider field of view and fragmentation warheads – ‘flying Claymore mines’ – triggered at a distance and not requiring a direct hit.

So far Russia has absorbed a million casualties and kept going, but as Ukraine acquires ever more FPVs – 1.5 million last year, tripling to 4.5 million this year – and operators become more skilled at targeting riders, the loss rate is likely to rise.

And anyone who does somehow manage to survive one motorcycle assault is likely to be put in the lead for the next one.