Putin’s soldiers waste millions in drones on plywood and blow-up tanks

Military sources say, “Half of what you see on the front line may not be real.”

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Military sources say, “Half of what you see on the front line may not be real.”

In 2023, Russian social media celebrated a drone strike on what they thought was a Ukrainian tank.

The target exploded in a fireball, and pro-war channels cried “Victory.”

Moments later, Ukrainians revealed the truth: it was just a wooden mock-up.

More than three years into the war, deception has become a weapon.

Ukraine uses wooden cannons, cardboard soldiers, and inflatable vans to confuse Russian forces.

Military sources say, “Half of what you see on the front line may not be real.”

Fake artillery is among the most effective decoys.

A plywood version of the M777 cannon costs around $600 to build.

Russia often sends $35,000 Lancet drones to destroy them. Ukrainians repair the dummies with tape and send them back to the front.

To make a fake position convincing, soldiers add abandoned ammunition crates, tracks in the dirt, and even makeshift toilets.

One commander was fooled so well that he accused his brigade of deploying real guns illegally. But it was all decoration.

Ukraine says over 50% of Russian drones are not real weapons but decoys.

They are often wooden or plastic models that force Ukraine to waste expensive air defense missiles.

Colonel Yuri Ihnat joked that some look “like they were built in a high school carpentry workshop.”

Russian companies like Rusbal now mass-produce dummy equipment.

They create 2D tanks that trick satellites, reflectors to simulate engine heat, and mannequins dressed as soldiers.

Some even emit thermal signatures to fool drones and cameras.

This type of deception has a long history.

Before the 1944 Normandy landings, the Allies built an entire fake army in England.

It included inflatable tanks and wooden planes, which tricked German intelligence and secured surprise.