Desperate Measures: The Russian Armys Shift to Pack Animals Amid Severe Equipment Crisis in Ukraine

Russian soldiers seem to be utilizing horses and donkeys to transport supplies to and from the front lines in Ukraine, as significant troop losses and low production rates have led to severe shortages in equipment.

At the same time, the Russian military has begun using civilian vehicles to launch attacks on Ukrainian positions, which diminishes their combat effectiveness, increases casualties, and slows their progression.

While former U.S. President Donald Trump advocates for a negotiated resolution to Russia’s three-year conflict, many analysts caution that any peace deal allowing Russia to retain occupied territories would be unstable, potentially reigniting aggression against Ukraine or even targeting NATO countries.

Amid these diplomatic efforts, the condition of the Russian military and its capacity to recover from losses after three years of intense combat is under scrutiny—especially following the appearance of images on pro-Russian Telegram channels showing donkeys utilized at the front lines last month.

A pro-war blogger, Kirill Fedorov, reported that his unit received a donkey from the Defense Ministry due to vehicle shortages. Additional evidence of Russian soldiers employing donkeys, horses, and even camels for logistics has surfaced shortly thereafter.

Lieutenant General Viktor Sobolev, part of the Russian State Duma’s Defense Committee, described the army’s use of pack animals as a “normal” practice.

Since the conflict began, Russian forces have depended on civilian vehicles for logistical support, often purchasing them with personal funds or through volunteer fundraising. These vehicles are primarily used for supply deliveries and troop reinforcements behind the front lines.

Increasingly, Russian soldiers have also begun conducting assaults on Ukrainian positions using common civilian cars.

A recent video captured by a Ukrainian drone depicted a convoy of civilian vehicles being targeted by mortars and FPV drones, resulting in significant casualties, and this incident is not isolated. The Russian military has even resorted to using scooters for transport at the front lines.

Other footage shows Russian troops attempting offensive maneuvers on motorcycles, which similarly culminate in heavy losses.

According to the OSINT project Oryx, Russia has lost over 15,000 military assets since initiating its full-scale invasion in February 2022, including more than 3,700 tanks and around 8,000 armored vehicles, while the number of destroyed civilian vehicles is even greater.

Military analyst Yan Matveev pointed out that combat vehicles are primarily designed to transport troops. Infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and armored personnel carriers (APCs) are meant to convey soldiers across dangerous zones or evacuate them while providing a degree of protection.

However, Russia’s IFVs have been insufficient in Ukraine, and the country lacks mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, which the U.S. supplies to Ukraine.

The rising use of drones on the battlefield has made attacks increasingly hazardous. Recently, Ukrainian forces inflicted heavy losses on an armored column from Russia’s elite 155th brigade as it attempted to advance in the Kursk region.

Analysts contend that repeated costly assaults have drained Russia’s vehicle reserves significantly.

“The acute lack of transportation in the Russian army has entirely stripped it of the capacity to execute strategic offensive operations,” Matveev stated.

Even minor battlefield breakthroughs have become challenging to capitalize on, as Russian forces face difficulties in moving reinforcements or resupplying advancing units, leading to a slow and grinding combat style.

Despite these challenges, Ukrainian forces have been able to maintain their defensive positions, largely due to the strained logistical capabilities of the Russian military, according to Matveev.

As a result of equipment shortages, Russian units have begun relying on civilian vehicles, including cars and minibuses, for the transport of personnel and supplies. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces utilize these vehicles, but they are inadequately armored, exposing them to drone attacks as both sides target each other’s logistics.

Footage recorded by Russian soldiers shows frontline roads scattered with burned civilian and military vehicles. Consequently, the Russian army has, at times, reverted to using pack animals to move ammunition and other supplies.

Military expert Pavel Luzin noted that other nations’ militaries employ pack animals in challenging terrains, such as deserts or mountains.

“In the Ukrainian steppes, which boast an extensive road network, the use of animals is solely due to transportation shortages,” he explained to The Moscow Times.

In some areas, the situation is even more severe.

Near Pokrovsk, a strategic stronghold in the Donetsk region for Kyiv, Russian troops reportedly must trek 18 kilometers (11 miles) on foot due to vehicle losses, according to military blogger Svyatoslav Golikov. The delivery of supplies, reinforcements, and ammunition has greatly slowed.

The diminished number of armored vehicles and deteriorating logistics have already impacted the speed of Russian advances. Data from the Ukrainian OSINT project Deep State indicates that in early February, the Russian military captured the least amount of Ukrainian territory since June 2024, as reported by the outlet Agentsvo.

Since the conflict’s onset, Russia has managed to make up for its substantial vehicle losses by retrieving old Soviet-era vehicles from storage and refurbishing them, but these reserves are now exhausted. Satellite imagery of Russian military storage facilities indicates that stocks of armored vehicles have declined by nearly 32% since 2021, according to OSINT analysts cited by Newsweek.

The number of MT-LB armored personnel carriers has decreased from 2,527 prior to the war to just 922 in May 2024. Additionally, Soviet-era BTR-60, BTR-70, and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers have been entirely removed from storage.

Reports indicate that over 40% of old Soviet tanks and armored personnel carriers were taken from the Vagzhanovo military equipment base in the republic of Buryatia, according to an analysis of satellite imagery published by The Moscow Times in 2023.

Military experts have also observed that the latest Russian T-90M tanks have been dispatched to the front lines missing essential components, likely due to sanctions restricting access to vital technology.

Satellite imagery suggests that Soviet-era military equipment in storage facilities may only remain viable until the end of 2025, according to Russian military expert Yury Fedorov in an interview with Novaya Gazeta Europe. He indicated that stockpiles of equipment are nearly depleted, although it is challenging to assess precisely how much weaponry remains in storage. Experts further point out that not all equipment in these reserves can be restored to operational condition.

Military analyst Richard Vereker has noted a sharp decline in Russian tank and APC losses, attributing this trend to the shrinking number of such vehicles actively deployed in the field.

Nonetheless, he has observed an uptick in losses of newer models like the BTR-82, suggesting that Russia’s defense industry is struggling to repair older Soviet vehicles while simultaneously increasing production of newer alternatives.

Ukrainian military expert Alexander Kovalenko stated that even these newer models exhibit the same fundamental vulnerability as their Soviet predecessors, notably in terms of inadequate armor protection.

Expert Luzin remarked that factories are unable to meet the demands for military equipment: “Production capacities are limited, and the loss rates are excessively high.”

According to Forbes, Russia produces around 200 new BMP-3 IFVs and 90 new T-90M tanks annually, along with several hundred other armored vehicles, including BTR-82 APCs. However, this output is insufficient to replace vehicles lost in combat.

Military analyst Pavel Aksyonov associated Russia’s difficulties in replacing its losses with the fact that it was unprepared for a prolonged conflict when it invaded Ukraine in early 2022.

“For a brief military campaign, a country doesn’t require a stable production pipeline for equipment and weapons — it just needs a sufficient stockpile to meet its objectives,” Aksyonov explained. “Russia’s economy was ill-prepared for a war of attrition and needed significant restructuring.”

Although Russia might not be able to fully rebuild its military for years to come, this does not imply it will forsake its long-term ambitions.

“Russia has not abandoned its objectives — to dismantle Ukraine, undermine NATO, and challenge U.S. leadership. This ideological drive does not necessarily take material considerations into account,” Luzin concluded.