Inflatable tanks and pistols with a flat bag

In June 2023, the video began to be distributed to Russian social media channels, which apparently show that a drone that destroys a Ukrainian tank during the Big Bang.

But not everything that seems in the war of Russia-Ukraine.

This video was followed by Ukrainian staff, showing the laughter of a soldier, indicating the burning debris and shouted, “They hit my wooden tank!”

It seems that the tank is a plywood bait used by Ukrainian forces to deceive the Russians.

It is one of the many thousands of full -scale military equipment used both Ukraine and Russia to deceive the enemy in the waste of precious ammunition, time and effort.

Almost everything visible on the front lines – from small radar and grenade launchers to jeeps, trucks, tanks and actual soldiers – can be false.

These imitations can come into flat packages, be inflatable, 2D or create a radar illusion, especially displaying radio waves.

In the case of some types of weapons deployed in Ukraine, at least half of them are actually imitations.

Among the most popular monuments used by the Ukrainian army are the M777 howitzer models. Western allies were believed to supply Kyiv of more than 150 of these very maneuverable and accurate artillery works, Ukrainian soldiers nicknamed “Three axes”.

Like many other types of equipment used by the Ukrainian army, volunteers play an important role in layout supplies.

Ruslan Klimenko says his volunteer group NA Chasi created and erected about 160 M777s models by Ukrainian troops. What makes them particularly popular is that they take three minutes, two people and without tools to gather on the front line, says Mr. Klimenko. “No matter how much the delivered, everything will be well used,” he says BBC.

Pavlo Narozhny from another group of volunteers called Reaktyvna Poshta says at any time 10-15 m777 affiliations.

Reaktyvna Poshta bait is made of plywood, coming into flat bags and cost about $ 500 – $ 600.

Russia often focuses them on Lancet Kamikaze drones worth about $ 35,000. “You are doing mathematics,” says Mr. Narov.

One of his M777 monitors, nicknamed Toli, spent more than a year on the frontline, surviving hits for at least 14 lancets, he claims.

The troops “continue to lay it together with several sticky ribbons and screws, and returning to the front line,” says Mr. Narov.

Much depends on how the bait unfolds. In order to successfully attract the enemy’s fire, it helps to recreate the true position with wheelchairs, ammunition and toilets. With the right execution, this can deceive not only the enemy, but also visit the officers.

“We had an instance in one brigade, where the fraud was cheated:” Who gave the order to expand the artillery? Where did the m777s come from? “

According to him, another tactic is to quickly remove real guns, such as mortars after use and replace them.

“They are perfect for deceiving the enemy and forcing them to spend dear resources. They work, we need more,” he says.

The Russian arsenal of belonging is also rich and diverse.

About half of the drones involved in any of Russia’s latest aviation attacks are actually cheap imitation, Ukrainian military says.

“These days, it is fifty fifty. Fifty percent are real drones, and fifty percent-imitative drones. Their task is to overload our air protection and ideally make us use a drummer that costs peanuts,” says Ukrainian Air Force. “Sometimes this is a plywood thing that looks as if it was beaten by some schoolchildren.”

However, in the air it looks just like a deadly drone for Ukrainian radars, says Kol Inat.

One of the Russian firm, a rusbal, produces imitation that includes 2D baits to mislead the exploration that is collected from the air or space, baits that mimic the heat highlighted by the engines, or radio passes coming from radio soldiers, and reflectors who fool the enemy radars.

Actual soldiers can also be impeded. Volunteers from the Movement of the Popular Front, supported by the Kremlin, made dummies in military uniform in Novosibirsk. To imitate the heat of the person and thus cheat Ukrainian thermal chambers, their trunks are wrapped under the heating wire under the jacket.

But of course, bait is not a new idea in the war.

As part of preparation for landing D-Day, A fully fake army group was created in the UKEquipped with dummy and bait aircraft.

Everything was part of a complex trick to hide the reality on Earth and give the allies an element of surprise they needed to start their attack.

Military technologies have improved significantly after World War II. For example, drones and drones on the battlefield are the main innovation in this war.

But no matter what the new weapon of destruction is brought to the battlefield, it simply shows that the base and the trick – even with something as simple as a doll – will always play in the war.