Russia Uses Mystery Decoy Weapons To Fool Ukraine Forces

Russian forces are now releasing mystery decoy weapons designed to trick Ukraine’s air-defense radars and heat-seeking missiles, an American intelligence official has said.

The munitions, which are released from Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles, measure about a foot in length and are shaped like a dart. The devices work by producing radio signals that jam or fool enemy radars attempting to locate the missiles. Additionally, the decoy munitions also contain a heat source to attract other incoming missiles, the official who spoke in condition of anonymity told The New York Times.

Each device is powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor, making it possible for the missile to reach targets located more than 200 miles away, the official said.

Photos of the decoy missile first appeared on social media a week after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. At the time, many experts mistook the mystery munitions for bomblets from cluster weapons.

The devices are similar to “penetration aids,” which were decoys first used during the Cold War. As with Russia’s new munitions, penetration aides were designed to evade antimissile systems in the 1970s.

It is unclear why Russia decided to use the decoys during its invasion of Ukraine as the latter does not have the military capabilities to shoot down Iskander missiles.

However, Jeffrey Lewis, a professor of nonproliferation at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, said the use of decoy munitions could point to a level of carelessness by Russian military leadership. He also added that Kremlin would likely be aware that Western intelligence services would collect and study the new weapon to come up with countermeasures.

"Decoys like this can be effective in terms of fooling radars or infrared seekers on kill vehicles, but they need to be kept secret," Lewis told The Business Insider. "Because if your adversary or if the defender has access to the countermeasures, then they can adapt their missile defense systems so that they're not fooled."

"In using missiles with these decoys, they're really compromising their own ability to defeat much more sophisticated missile defenses that the United States and other NATO countries might use," he added.