Ukrainian units want more sneaky battlefield e-scooters, Latvian firm says

EUROSATORY 2024 — Ukrainian soldiers have an open request for a few dozen more e-scooters made by a Latvian firm and used for stealthy reconnaissance and supply missions, the company’s founder told Breaking Defense.

Latvia initially donated a handful of the camouflaged, ruggedized electric scooters made by Mosphera to Ukrainian forces in early 2023, and after their apparent usefulness in the conflict, two Ukrainian army units have since requested more than two dozen more, according to documents provided by the company and dated late 2023. A charity has also requested more than 30 of the systems on behalf of Ukrainian forces, bringing the total order to nearly 70, the company said.

One of the letters says the scooters have received “very positive feedback” from Ukrainian soldiers who are using them for “combat tasks.”

Mosphera CEO Klavs Asmanis told Breaking Defense the request is currently before the Latvian government, but his company stands ready to deliver. Spokespeople for Latvia’s Ministry of Defence did not respond to Breaking Defense’s request for comment Tuesday.

Standing next to a model scooter here at Eurosatory on Tuesday, Asmanis laid out the case for front-line forces to employ what the company says is the “world’s first electric scooter for military purposes,” though he describes it as powerful enough to be considered a “standing-position motorcycle.” Claiming a top speed of more than 60 miles per hour, Asmanis said the scooter operates “completely without noise,” is small enough that it’s easy to quickly to hide in the brush and can traverse rough terrain — making it ideal for low-profile reconnaissance, scout and supply missions.

In “feedback” videos provided by Mosphera, soldiers identified as Ukrainian troops spoke positively of the scooter, allowing them to move quickly and silently through forests on animal trails in ways that would be too obvious in vehicles and too slow and dangerous on foot.

In addition to the e-scooters, Ukrainian forces were reported to use electric motorbikes for many of the same reasons, a tactic that has also been of interest to the American military.

Latvia doesn’t specifically list scooters among the many articles it has provided Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, but says the nation has provided support “in the amount of nearly 1 [percent] of its gross domestic product, making [it] one of the biggest supports of Ukraine,” relatively.

“In cash terms, Latvia’s defence sector has provided military support in the amount of EUR 370 million, including unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, howitzers, weapons and personal equipment, ammunition, anti-tank weapons, Stinger air defence systems, radars, ration packs, IT equipment, land vehicles, petrol and various weapons systems,” the defense ministry says.

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Latvia, partnered with the United Kingdom, is also taking the lead on a European coalition effort to supply Ukraine with 1 million unmanned systems.