Russia's decoy game: Painting fake planes to mystify enemy counts

Such an unusual activity of replicating full-scale aircraft on airport surfaces has drawn considerable attention. Observations indicate that Russians have been depicting a wide range of aircraft, including Su-27, Su-35, MiG-31, and even strategic bombers like the Tu-95MS at their airports.

Defence.ua.com shared insights, but it remains uncertain if these Russian efforts were specifically to mislead the guidance systems of long-range kamikaze drones. Analyst Brady Africk delved into this phenomenon, noting these imitations at nine Russian airports.

Determining the Russians' precise motive for the imagery remains elusive, especially given the imperfections of these depictions – they lack shadows and omit critical features like engines or cockpits.

Given these discrepancies, it's unlikely the Ukrainians would mistake these imitations for real aircraft targets. The Russians' actual motive might be rooted in different strategies.

One plausible reason could be to obscure the actual number of aircraft lost in combat. Satellite imagery, which the Ukrainians could use to tally enemy aircraft at airbases, might not accurately reflect losses if fake planes complicate the count.

Verifying an aircraft's condition or its presence requires prolonged airport surveillance. The addition of fake aircraft further challenges this verification process. Despite these efforts, Ukrainians have managed to report the downing of approximately 13 Russian aircraft.

This strategic use of decoys illustrates the complexities and psychological aspects of modern warfare, where not everything seen can be believed.