Ukrainian forces successfully deceived Russian troops into striking dummy models of aircraft and air defense systems with Iskander-M missiles, according to Mykola Oleshchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian Air Force. Oleshchuk shared this tactical maneuver on Telegram, accompanied by footage purportedly showing Russian strikes on the mock-ups placed at airfields near Kryvyi Rih and the Yuzhne area near Odesa.
The footage, captured by Russian reconnaissance drones, depicted the destruction of fake military targets, including what appeared to be a warplane at the Dovhyntseve airfield. This tactic aims to reduce the number of Russian missiles while preserving real assets.
The Ukrainian Air Force utilized realistic mock-ups to mislead Russian forces, leading them to expend valuable Iskander-M missiles on non-existent targets. These dummy models were positioned at critical locations to simulate high-value military assets. Oleshchuk thanked those involved in creating the high-quality mock-ups, highlighting their role in the successful deception.
“Air force personnel successfully conducted passive defense measures,” Oleshchuk wrote. “Thank you to everyone who helps with high-quality models of aircraft and air defense systems. The enemy has fewer ‘Iskanders,’ and more models will be delivered.”
This isn’t the first time Ukraine has employed such tactics. Since the onset of the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has repeatedly used decoys to trick Russian forces into targeting fake versions of military equipment. Similarly, Russia has employed deceptive tactics, such as painting silhouettes of naval vessels on land.
The Iskander-M missile, used by Russia, is a short-range ballistic missile with a range of up to 500 kilometers (about 310 miles). It has been part of Russia’s military arsenal since 2008, first seen in combat during the conflict with Georgia.
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