Britain Sends High-Tech Military Decoys to Ukraine to Deceive Russian Forces

The United Kingdom is supplying Ukraine with lifelike decoys of military equipment, designed to mimic air defense systems and tanks, in an effort to mislead Russian reconnaissance and drain Moscow’s firepower. 

The Gaze reports on this with reference to The Times.

Developed by the British Ministry of Defence’s Taskforce Kindred, these flat-pack decoys are created using high-resolution images of actual British equipment, such as Challenger 2 tanks and AS-90 artillery systems, and printed onto specialized materials. Once shipped to Ukraine, they can be assembled by troops in just a few hours and deployed along the frontline to create the illusion of heavily fortified positions.

“The quantity of weapons we can provide is limited, so multiplying our visible presence through deception is strategically invaluable,” said Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force Lowri Simner. She emphasized that with modern surveillance tools like satellites and drones, traditional inflatable decoys no longer suffice. The new generation of decoys, however, can withstand close-range scrutiny and mislead even advanced targeting systems.

Colonel of the Royal Marines Ollie Todd, who oversees acquisitions for the taskforce, noted that the UK might send up to 30 decoys for every five real systems delivered. “From 25 meters away, they’re nearly indistinguishable from the real thing,” he said. “They’re simple, cost-effective, and fundamental to our strategy.”

Ukraine has embraced this technology as a valuable tool in resisting Russian aggression. Speaking at the London Defence Conference, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Kateryna Chornogorenko confirmed that decoys now play a critical role on both sides of the conflict. Russia, too, deploys fake drones with minimal explosives, intended to force Ukraine to exhaust air defense resources.

This isn’t the first time such tactics have been employed. In 2023, Czech manufacturer Inflactech began producing inflatable replicas of HIMARS rocket systems for Ukraine, reinforcing the trend toward cost-efficient, high-impact battlefield deception.

As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine’s Western allies are in advanced talks to provide additional Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv, aiming to finalize an agreement before the NATO summit in late June.