Russia’s direct assaults near Myrnohrad are failing. The quad bike flanking runs aren’t going much better

Russian forces in the Myrnohrad area are increasingly turning to quad bikes for flanking maneuvers after failing to break through Ukrainian positions directly, the 79th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army reported on 1 March. 

Quad bikes replace motorcycles for flanking runs

The shift comes as the situation on the Pokrovsk axis remains difficult, with Russia attempting to bypass the brigade's main forces from the northeast and southwest "attempting operational encirclement," the 79th Separate Air Assault Tavria Brigade said.

The military unit said it records increasing numbers of quadnikes in the area. Russian troops are using quad bikes for their better terrain passability and load capacity, and the brigade says it noted cases where four Russian soldiers ride a single vehicle.

 Assessed control of terrain in the Pokrovsk direction, 1 March 2026. Map: ISW

Despite these advantages, quad bikes have a significant drawback — limited maneuverability that makes them easier targets for strike drone pilots, according to the military. 

A video shared by the 79th on 1 March shows FPV drone strikes on individual Russian foot soldiers and abandoned quad bikes.

"Fighters of the 79th Separate Air Assault Tavria Brigade of the 7th Rapid Response Corps continue to carry out combat missions in Myrnohrad and on its northern outskirts," the unit wrote.

 Assessed control of terrain in the Pokrovsk urban agglomeration, 1 March 2026. Map: ISW

The current military map by the Institute for the Study of War shows Myrnohrad fully occupied, the Ukrainian frontline monitoring Deep State's map, however, marks the northwestern outskirts of the city as the so-called gray zone — an area of active fighting without clear territorial control.

 Assessed control of terrain near Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad in Donetsk Oblast, 2 March 2026. Red: Russian-occupied, gray: the "gray zone." Map: Deep State

Russia has deployed about 150,000 troops on the Pokrovsk axis as of mid-February, according to RBC-Ukraine, using small assault groups, motorcycles, buggies, and now increasingly quad bikes to probe and bypass Ukrainian defenses.