The UK has delivered more weapons decoys to Ukraine in an effort to mislead Russian forces into thinking that Kyiv has received a larger influx of Western arms than it actually has.
Some of the decoys mimic Challenger 2 tanks and AS-90 self-propelled artillery systems, both of which are in limited supply.
“We haven’t gifted a huge amount of these, so anything we can do to make the quantities look greater on the frontline is advantageous to us,” Royal Air Force Squadron Leader Lowri Simner told The Times.
The deception tactic comes as Russian forces increasingly rely on satellite imagery and advanced drones to scan the battlefield for targets.
In response, Britain has stepped up its game, producing replicas that are more convincing and harder to distinguish from actual weapons.
‘Just Like the Real Thing’
Beyond misleading Russian intelligence, the decoys are designed to lure Russian forces into wasting expensive munitions on cheap, printed targets.
Made from lightweight materials, the mock weapons can be quickly assembled and deployed by Ukrainian troops at the front.
Colonel Ollie Todd, a Royal Marine and procurement officer for Taskforce Kindred, said the UK is shipping decoys at a ratio of 30 for every five real systems.
“They look just like the real thing. You could be quite easily fooled,” Todd said, noting that even from 25 meters (82 feet) away, they are difficult to tell apart from genuine equipment.
A ‘Necessary Element’ of Warfare
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Kateryna Chornohorenko acknowledged that both Kyiv and Moscow have been using fake weapons to gain a tactical edge on the battlefield.
She described them as “a very necessary element of warfare today,” noting that well-placed decoys can force the enemy to waste time, effort, and ammunition.
According to her, many of Russia’s decoys are drones crafted to mimic loitering munitions but carrying only small explosive payloads.
The UK Ministry of Defence also revealed that Russian forces have resorted to painting fake fighter jets on airfields in an effort to draw Ukrainian missile strikes away from real targets.
