Innovative Deception: Ukraine's Use of Decoy Military Equipment in the Ongoing Conflict

Sun Sep 14 2025 10:03:43 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Explore how Ukraine employs inflatable tanks, flat-pack guns, and other decoys to mislead Russian forces and conserve resources during the war. A look into the creativity and resourcefulness of Ukrainian volunteers on the front lines.

As the conflict in Ukraine rages on, the use of decoy military equipment has become a crucial strategy for both Ukrainian and Russian forces. From inflatable tanks to plywood models, these innovations are designed to mislead and confuse the enemy. Ukrainian volunteer groups have been instrumental in creating and deploying these decoys, helping to save valuable ammunition and essential military resources.

In June 2023, a video started spreading on pro-war Russian social media channels, apparently showing a drone destroying a Ukrainian tank in a massive explosion.

But not everything is what it seems in the Russia-Ukraine war.

That video was followed by Ukrainian footage showing a laughing soldier pointing at the burning wreckage and exclaiming: They've hit my wooden tank! The tank in question appears to be a plywood decoy used by the Ukrainian forces to deceive the Russians.

It is one of many thousands of full-scale models of military equipment used by both Ukraine and Russia to trick the enemy into wasting valuable ammunition, time and effort. Almost anything seen on the frontline - from small radars and grenade launchers to jeeps, trucks, tanks and actual soldiers - may be fake.

These imitations can come in flat-packs, be inflatable, 2D or create a radar illusion of a tank by reflecting radio waves in a special way. In the case of some weapon types deployed in Ukraine, at least half of them are actually decoy imitations.

Among the most popular decoys used by the Ukrainian army are models of the British-made M777 howitzers. Volunteers play an important role in supplying decoy mock-ups, delivering about 160 models of M777s that can be assembled in minutes.

Proper deployment of these decoys is crucial; they are often placed to resemble real artillery positions, fooling not just the enemy but also military officers visiting the operational sites.

This strategy highlights a blend of ingenuity and military strategy, emphasizing how deception remains a vital component in modern warfare.