Despite the many donations of weapon systems and military equipment that have arrived in Ukraine, most of it is in short supply in the war.
Ukraine has therefore successfully developed a tactic to deceive Russia.
– It was used on both sides but successfully by Ukraine, says Joakim Paasikivi, lieutenant colonel.
The advanced weapons and radar systems donated to Ukraine are high-priority targets for Russian missile and drone attacks. To protect the technology, the Ukrainian army uses an old tactic, but in a modernized and more advanced version.
– The Ukrainians have been very good here. For example, Russia has said that they have knocked out more HIMARS pieces than Ukraine has ever received, says Joakim Paasikivi.
“Extremely lifelike”
The expensive weapon systems are just visible to Russia. Strategically camouflaged so they can be detected, but hidden enough to appear believable.
Ukraine has successfully used inflatable dummy targets to confuse the Russian army.
– There are companies in Ukraine that can make extremely lifelike dummies of HIMARS, artillery pieces or radar stations – to attract Russian fire – and then the dummies are destroyed, which is considerably cheaper than the real thing, says Joakim Paasikivi, lieutenant colonel.
The use of mock targets in battle is nothing new. A historical example is Britain’s mock maneuver before the storming of Normandy, where an entire army corps of inflatable tanks was deployed to confuse German troops.
But in Ukraine, the phenomenon has been taken to new levels.
– What is new is the industrial scale and in this war you also need to add heat sources and radar signature because there are several sensors to be fooled. The Ukrainians have been very good here, says Joakim Paasikivi.
“Successfully”
The mock targets appear to have been successfully implemented, as there are no signs that Ukraine’s most advanced system has been hit, according to Paasikivi.
– There are no signs that Russia has succeeded in knocking out any HIMARS or many of the advanced systems that Ukraine has. Then of course it is difficult to know exactly, there is always an element of secrecy around Russian attacks, he says and concludes:
– But it is quite clear that it has been used successfully.
In social media, there are also video clips that are said to be shown when the inflatable targets are hit. In some cases, shelling is said to have taken place with long-range weapons, which require ammunition that Russia had difficulty obtaining.