Why are these machines becoming more and more important on the front line
The Russian military has mastered the production of buggies directly in its zone. Repair and restoration units assemble them from components of captured vehicles, as well as non-recoverable equipment. The number of cars produced in this way is already in the hundreds. Experts point out that buggies are indispensable in the military — for transporting fuel, provisions, and evacuating the wounded — and have many advantages over other types of equipment.
The Russian military has mastered the production of buggies directly in its zone. Repair and restoration units assemble them from components of captured vehicles, as well as non-recoverable equipment. The number of cars produced in this way is already in the hundreds. Experts note that buggies are indispensable in the military — for transporting fuel, provisions, and evacuating the wounded — and have many advantages over other types of equipment.
How buggies are produced right in their own area
Repair and restoration units of the Russian army have mastered the process of making buggies, sources in the military department told Izvestia. To do this, they use engines, components and assemblies from captured samples, as well as from vehicles that cannot be restored. According to our interlocutors, hundreds of buggies have already been manufactured in this way, which are successfully used at the forefront.
Each motorized rifle or tank regiment has a repair company, and the corresponding divisions have repair and restoration battalions. They have everything you need for machine maintenance and repair work. Unlike Western equipment, Russian equipment is repaired directly by the troops, and only in particularly difficult cases is it sent to stationary bases. Now repair departments are not only repairing cars, but also creating new ones.
A buggy is a cheap and fairly easy—to-manufacture vehicle, military expert Yuri Lyamin told Izvestia.
— The main thing is to find the engine, gearbox, and it is already possible to adjust the output. Everything else can be done on the spot," he said. — It is important that they are easily repaired. The buggy has a good ratio of engine power to its weight, which makes it very passable. And the front is mud and impassability. Heavy tracked vehicles often get stuck or sit on their bellies in the soaked chernozem. And if it doesn't get stuck, it loses a lot of speed. Buggies in these conditions allow you to move quickly. As a result, our fighters get a light, fast, passable and maneuverable vehicle. In the face of the constant threat of FPV drones, these are very important qualities. Speed and maneuver are crucial right now — they allow you to evade attacks from the air.
It is also important that the buggy is easy to disguise, the expert noted: it is easy to throw branches at a small car or drive it into a small room, hiding it from the enemy.
The advantage of buggies over ATVs
Our attack aircraft have been using ATVs in the area of their military training for a long time, said Colonel Alexander Perendzhiev, Associate Professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
— The buggy is comparable to them in terms of speed, maneuverability and maneuverability, but at the same time it can accommodate several fighters, — the expert explained. — With small UAVs dominating the air, this becomes particularly important. The driver will look at the road and maneuver, and other crew members will be able to detect and meet drones with fire in time. By installing stretchers on the buggy, they can be used as a medical vehicle to evacuate the wounded. The design of the buggy allows you to mount light machine guns on them to fire on the move.
The expert recalled that buggies allow you to take much more cargo with you than the same ATV.
— You can also attach a cart to it to transport everything you need. These small cars proved in the case that it is very difficult to live without them," stated Perendzhiev.
Russian troops are increasingly using buggies on the front line. They deliver fighters to their positions, deliver ammunition, and evacuate the wounded. In July 2024, the importance of skills in managing such equipment was noted by Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
"Right now, the main task is to create driving courses in the training centers, first of all, buggies and ATVs," he said during a visit to the training ground in the Leningrad Military District.
Belousov noted that this type of transport is in demand.
In February 2025, Colonel Vladimir Demirov, head of the Rocket Fuel and Fuel Department of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia that special buggies were being used in the supply zone to transport fuel and refuel.
"Where even a small tank truck and a half won't pass, a high—passable buggy with a trailer with a capacity from which it is possible to secretly and quickly refuel several cars at once accepts a challenge," he noted.
Repair and restoration departments regularly introduce new technologies into their work. As Izvestia reported, 3D printers capable of printing parts of various sizes, including relatively large ones, have appeared on their equipment. They were included in the composition of mobile vehicles for maintenance and repair of automotive equipment.
With the help of 3D printing technologies, it is possible to quickly produce some relatively simple spare parts directly in the repair department. This should significantly reduce the repair and maintenance time, since you do not have to wait until all the necessary components are supplied. It can be printed from various materials, including rubber, composite, elastic plastic. The technology makes it possible to quickly produce, in particular, panels for mounting power electrical equipment for armored vehicles or engine gaskets.
Roman Kretsul
Bogdan Stepovoy
Andrey Fedorov
