Since the beginning of 2023, there has been an increasing number of incidents involving the deployment of self-driven VBIEDs in the war in Ukraine, both by pro-Ukraine and pro-Russia groups. Although to date, the control mechanism has not been documented adequately, there are several indications the VBIEDs were self-driven, such as a rope tied to the steering wheel, the removal of the driver’s seat and the abandonment of the vehicle while it was still moving. Going back to July 2022, if not earlier, this is an emerging trend that was adopted in the eastern European battlefield, inspired by past incidents around the world in the last few decades. Notwithstanding, at present, more documentation is still needed to better understand the mechanism or system and compare it to past incidents. Furthermore, a single image of a drone remote controller reflects the will to shift from a self-driven to an RC VBIED, an intent which at present remains theoretical. Nevertheless, the current trend of self-driven VBIEDs is a step toward achieving this goal.
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