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Back to Horses? Russian Troops Seen Riding Near Ruined Pokrovsk, Video
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Footage circulating online appears to show Russian troops entering the outskirts of Pokrovsk on horseback, as heavy fighting continues around the city, according to the OSINT community Supernova+, which posted the video on December 16.
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According to the OSINT community, the footage, the riders are Russian servicemen using horses to move through urban and semi-urban terrain under constant threat from Ukrainian drones and precision strikes.
russian cavalry is entering Pokrovsk. pic.twitter.com/jSmSCH4hyi
— EMPR.media (@EuromaidanPR) December 16, 2025
No official confirmation has been issued by either side, and Ukrainian authorities have not publicly commented on the video as of publication.
If verified, the footage would align with earlier reports indicating that Russian units in occupied parts of the Donetsk region have experimented with horse-mounted operations.
In September, Russian military bloggers acknowledged that certain assault formations were training mounted teams, citing advantages such as reduced reliance on fuel, the ability to traverse terrain inaccessible to vehicles, and a lower acoustic and thermal signature compared to armored platforms.
Analysts have previously described these adaptations as a sign of battlefield improvisation rather than doctrinal change. Ukrainian drone dominance, persistent strikes on logistics routes, and mounting losses of armored vehicles have steadily eroded Russia’s ability to maneuver using conventional mechanized formations, particularly near contested urban centers like Pokrovsk.
Earlier encounters involving mounted Russian troops reportedly ended poorly. In one documented case, Ukrainian forces used aerial surveillance and precision drones to detect and neutralize a horse-mounted assault group shortly after contact, underscoring the vulnerability of such units in a sensor-saturated battlespace.
Earlier, Ukrainian troops recorded the capture of a Bactrian camel from a Russian position on the eastern front.
The animal was seen being led behind a pickup truck as Ukrainian soldiers worked on a damaged M113 armored personnel carrier; reports emerged that the unit that posted the video stated the camel was taken after Ukrainian forces overran a Russian-held site and found the animal wandering nearby.
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
