Russia deploys mannequin decoys to dupe Ukrainian drones
The recording shared on Russian channels on Telegram shows mannequins lined up in uniforms as part of a larger Kremlin plan. According to The Telegraph portal, these "dummyy soldiers" are intended to act as lures.
Videos posted online feature mannequins dressed in military uniforms, arranged near tires in a wooded area, with one of them holding a weapon.
Drone decoys
There are suspicions that the Russians aim to confuse Ukrainian FPV (First Person View) drones in this manner.
Keir Giles, a Russia expert from the Chatham House think tank, commented that the decoys fit "the trend of war becoming so much more personalised." Drones are increasingly targeting individual soldiers, and both Ukrainians and Russians share recordings of these attacks.
Russians often pretend to be dead when they notice a Ukrainian FPV drone in the sky.
"The mannequins may be an effective way to sow doubt in the minds of drone operators as to whether they are attacking the correct target," added Giles.
As noted by The Telegraph, Russia's war in Ukraine has become a testing ground for the most advanced military technology. FPV drones can approach incredibly close to their target, providing operators with an unprecedented view of the objective.
Drones have revolutionized combat
Using decoys in war is nothing new. The Russians have employed this tactic from the beginning. In October 2023, at the Engels airbase in the Saratov Oblast, soldiers painted aircraft on the tarmac. This was meant to deceive Ukrainian drones, which, according to the Russians, would strike the painted planes instead of real ones.
A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded a medal to a 25-year-old drone operator credited with killing as many as 400 Russians.
