In a stark visual from the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian military forces have released video evidence showing Russian soldiers attempting to advance on horseback. The footage is being presented by Kyiv as a clear sign of severe equipment shortages plaguing Russian ground troops on the battlefield.
Drone Operators Track and Engage Cavalry
The Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that servicemembers from the 5th Assault Battalion of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade first detected the unusual movement. Using surveillance drones, they tracked the group of Russian soldiers riding across open terrain. The video, shared on the brigade's official Facebook page, includes audio commentary from the Ukrainian troops involved in the operation.
According to the unit's statement, the rapid loss of military vehicles during repeated infantry assaults, often referred to as 'meat assaults,' is forcing Russian troops to adopt unconventional methods. "Russian occupiers are losing equipment so quickly... that they are forced to move on horseback. But even this does not help them," the brigade declared. They added that their drone operators are instructed to neutralize any visible target immediately.
Graphic Footage Shows Failed Advance
The released video provides a grim sequence of events. It first shows a Russian soldier riding a horse, tracked from above by a Ukrainian drone. Moments later, as the soldier attempts to flee, the drone strikes. The footage then cuts to another rider being targeted; the explosion is seen knocking the horse to the ground and throwing the rider off. Ukrainian officials confirmed that the riders were killed during the defense of their positions using drone-dropped munitions.
Symbol of Russian Logistical Failures
Ukrainian commentators have interpreted this incident as more than an isolated event. They see it as a symbol of Russia's deepening logistical crisis and its struggle to find ways to breach heavily fortified and monitored Ukrainian defensive lines. Mykola Voroshnov, a Ukrainian servicemember and civic activist, reacted to the footage by calling the scene "insane."
"Cavalry assaulting our positions. This is insane," he wrote. Voroshnov noted that such occurrences are now being discussed and confirmed within closed military communication groups. He also expressed sympathy for the horses involved in the attack.
This development follows earlier reports from the conflict zone indicating that Russian forces, facing shortages of trucks and armored vehicles, have resorted to using donkeys and other beasts of burden for transportation and logistics in certain rugged areas. The use of cavalry in a 21st-century war underscores the extreme pressures and resource constraints reported by analysts on one side of the conflict.
