Asger Risom
Civilian vehicles, including golf carts and school buses, highlight Moscow’s deepening logistical strain in Ukraine
As Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds into its third year, the Russian military is increasingly resorting to unconventional solutions for transporting troops.
The latest example—a school bus used in combat operations—has sparked both ridicule and concern over the state of the Kremlin’s battlefield logistics.
School Bus Spotted in Donetsk
According to a report by Forbes, Russian forces deployed a yellow school bus to ferry soldiers in the Donetsk region.
The vehicle reportedly broke down or got stuck in soft terrain, quickly becoming a target for a Ukrainian kamikaze drone. Footage of the incident was widely circulated online.
The bus in question appears to be a KAvZ-397620, a 20-seat model built on the GAZ-33074 chassis. First produced in 1989, it weighs around 5 tons and has a top speed of 90 km/h, powered by a 125-horsepower ZMZ-513.10 engine.
Its use on an active front has been described as “absurd” by military analysts, given its complete lack of armor and zero firepower capabilities.
Improvisation Reflects Deeper Problems
As reported by WP Tech, this isn’t the first time Russia has relied on non-military vehicles. Previous sightings include Chinese golf carts, Belarusian motorcycles, and civilian Lada cars—all repurposed due to dwindling stocks of armored personnel carriers and transport trucks.
Military experts have warned that such improvisation highlights the extent of Russia’s material losses and the limitations imposed by Western sanctions on its defense industry. Ukraine’s Unian agency estimates that Russia has lost over 17,000 pieces of military equipment since the start of the full-scale invasion.
While effective at masking short-term shortages, the use of unarmored civilian vehicles exposes Russian troops to higher risks, further illustrating the imbalance between battlefield needs and available resources.