Russia amplifies camouflage tactics but struggles to reduce losses in Ukraine

"In response to a large number of ships and planes going missing, the Russian armed forces have stepped up their camouflage tactics to make it harder for Ukrainian forces to spot them. However, this is not expected to greatly cut down on their losses," the British Ministry of Defence reported on Wednesday.

The latest intelligence update highlighted that the Russian military doctrine heavily relies on camouflage and deception techniques, known as maskirovka, to boost the survival odds for its troops and to hide their real operational goals. The poor implementation of these strategies was pinpointed as a key factor in the operational setbacks at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

This data indicates that the Russian armed forces have probably taken measures to enhance and refine their camouflage methods. These efforts are directed at mitigating the substantial casualties sustained by both the Black Sea Fleet and the Aerospace Forces over the past two years.

At Russian airbases, camouflage tactics include employing decoy planes and fitting tyres onto the wings of aircraft. Additionally, it has been reported that silhouettes of planes have been drawn at nine bases. For the navy, ships in the Black Sea Fleet have their bows and sterns painted black to make them seem smaller and reduce their appeal as a target. Ship silhouettes have also been painted on the quaysides, possibly to confuse Ukrainian drone operators.

An intelligence briefing included a satellite image from the port in Novorossiysk, showing the outline of a ship painted on the quay adjacent to the actual ship.

Despite these efforts to hide, Russian planes remain prone to being shot down while airborne, and Russian ships continue to be at risk when operating in the Black Sea. The deployment of maskirovka techniques is not thought likely to result in any significant drop in losses.