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“The hidden assassin in the Russia-Ukraine conflict – the light transport vehicle Chaborz…all-terrain, off-road vehicles M3 and M6 of the ‘Chaborz’ (bear wolf) family were first used in the war in the Donbas region…as fast as a wolf and as strong as a bear… such an ‘assassin squad’ to break through the enemy’s impenetrable, logistical defense and deliver devastating blows.” – Inf. news, March 8, 2026
In February 2017, the ChechenAvto automobile plant in Argun, Chechen Republic, Russian Federation, began series production of the all-new Chaborz (“Bear-Wolf”) M-3 light, off-road, armed, tactical, “battle buggy” vehicle, successfully tested by the Russian University of Special Forces in Gudermes, Chechnya. At the Russian “Army 2017” forum in August 2017, both the Chaborz M-3 and a larger, multipurpose, Chaborz M-6 variant were officially unveiled to the public.
The small, nimble Chaborz M-3 is just over 10 feet long, weighs 1,804 pounds empty, holds two or three soldiers, is powered by a rear-mounted, four-cylinder, 98-horsepower Lada Priora gasoline engine, with rear-wheel drive only, an upgraded Lada Grant five-speed manual gearbox, and can reach a top speed of over 81 miles per hour. It can mount a 7.62mm PKM or PKP Pecheneg medium machine gun, and an AGS-17 Plamya (“Flame”) or AGS-30 30mm grenade launcher.
The newer Chaborz M-6, entering full production in 2018, is longer (13.2 feet), heavier, seats up to six soldiers, has a 150-horsepower diesel engine or 200-horsepower gasoline engine, four-wheel-drive, and mounts an NSV or Kord 12.7x108mm heavy machine gun on top.
Both vehicles utilize tubular, steel frames and four-wheel, independent suspension with gas-filled shock absorbers. Both versions were fully tested by the Northern Ahmet Special Forces Regiment (78th Motorized Special Purpose Regiment “North-Akhmat”), a Chechen-based, special forces unit, and underwent combat evaluations in Syria in 2018. They are produced in Chechnya in small batches of approximately 20 vehicles each, and have seen battlefield action in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine since 2018.
Chaborz M-3 and M-6 battle buggies are primarily used as light, high-speed, and maneuverable vehicles for special forces, and depending upon the required task, they may be converted into passenger, reconnaissance, cargo, cargo-passenger, medical evacuation, strike, or patrol versions. Their passenger seats contain brackets for holding personal small arms, such as rifles or carbines.
The Russians freely admit (in Inf.news) that, “The Chaborz all-terrain vehicle…is not suitable for the frontal battlefield where there (are) a lot of bullets, and the front line and other areas where the fire is fierce are not its stage…The main advantage of Chaborz is its high mobility and concealment…special forces combat units can drive it to carry out various covert and deadly targeted strike missions…has been actively used in special operations zones, shining on the battlefield.”
Nikolai Litovkin noted for Russia Beyond on May 22, 2019, that, “The buggies are designed to operate in a group of several vehicles, so a raid will generally involve three or more vehicles at a time…‘Hence the need for rapid response teams, which can reach the required destination in a matter of 30 minutes and eliminate guerillas/militants.’
“These buggies can be landed from helicopters and airplanes, and are immediately ready for battle…the Chaborz is more mobile than other all-terrain vehicles, and can make it behind enemy lines quicker.”
However, as fast and nimble and concealable as these Chaborz tactical vehicles are, the rapidly evolving dynamics of drone warfare in Ukraine have all but negated any advantage they may possess. Recent combat footage from a Ukrainian drone in the Sumy region clearly shows a Russian battle buggy blazing across an open field at full speed, racing toward the dense treeline ahead, next to a dirt road, while leaving a trail of swirling dust behind it.
The buggy took one hit from a Ukrainian drone and began spewing smoke, but continued charging toward the distant treeline at top speed. As soon as it reached the dirt road and crossed into the trees, it took a second, catastrophic hit and exploded in a billowing, orange fireball. Like all other Russian combat equipment, even these speedy, glamorous buggies are vulnerable to aerial attack by tiny, stealthy, undetectable Ukrainian armed drones.
Both the Russians and Ukrainians have been using various types of battle buggies in the ongoing war, mostly built by hand near the front lines. The Chaborz M-3 and M-6 are probably Russia’s best, factory-manufactured, light, all-terrain vehicles at present, much lighter and more maneuverable than the small, Sarmat-3 tactical vehicle, and faster than the Chinese Desertcross 1000-3 “golf cart” vehicle.
But even these speedy, low-slung, special operations attack buggies are no match for the roving, Ukrainian strike drones buzzing deep behind enemy lines at treetop level, relentlessly hunting down the marauding Russian invaders. In the immortal words of General William Tecumseh Sherman, “War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want…War is Hell!”
This story originally published on SOFREP.
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