Russia is trying to confuse Ukrainians with fake fighter planes, but it doesn’t help if you land on them with helicopters | Abroad

British authorities say this is not a single case of attempted deception. Similar illustrations have also been observed at at least twelve other air bases. The Ministry of Defense calls it likely that the Russians are resorting to such deception tricks after a series of successful Ukrainian attacks on military targets.

The attempt at deception would be “completely undermined” by the fact that Russian helicopters regularly land on images of fighter planes, the British add subtly.

Previously, other sources also reported painted aircraft at Russian military airfields. And the paint pots are also brought out in other places. For example, Russian warships are sometimes painted to make them more difficult to detect. The bow and stern of the ship are then painted completely black, making the shape of the vessel more difficult to distinguish on satellite images.

Russia also painted silhouettes of fake ships on quays to mislead the Ukrainian army. Last month, the British Ministry of Defense published a photo of a painted submarine next to a real one on the quay of the Russian port of Novorossiysk, on the Black Sea.

The Ukrainians also use all kinds of tricks to mislead the Russians. For example, inflatable tanks and rocket launchers are used, which can hardly be distinguished from the real thing from the air. Russia also used inflatable tanks.