Ukrainian drone operators continue to expose weaknesses in russia's battlefield air defense, with enemy forces increasingly relying on decoys to mask the growing gaps in their short-range protection. These improvised mockups are meant to mislead reconnaissance drones and divert precision strikes away from real systems.
On March 16, the commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, Major Robert Brovdi, reported that russian troops have begun deploying fake targets designed to imitate air defense assets. The tactic, he said, reflects the enemy's attempt to compensate for the weakening of its short-range air defense network.
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In a video released by the commander, what initially appeared to be a large radar associated with the S-300 surface-to-air missile system turned out, upon closer inspection by Ukrainian drone, to be nothing more than a pile of boxes arranged to resemble equipment. From a distance and in the radio spectrum, the structure looked convincing enough to resemble an operational radar system.
Robert Brovdi explained that the decoy produced emissions designed to appear credible in the radio spectrum, but in reality the signal was simply a "garland" intended to imitate electronic activity. The fake radar was discovered on temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region near the settlement of Shyroka Balka.
The presence of such a decoy suggests that a real air defense system may be operating nearby, hidden from reconnaissance.
"That means the real system is somewhere close and will be eliminated soon," Robert Brovdi said, implying that Ukrainian drone units are continuing their hunt for the genuine launcher.
The released footage also showed successful strikes against actual russian air defense systems. Drone pilots from the Kairos 9th Battalion of the 414th Brigade reportedly destroyed russian Tor short-range surface-to-air missile system units during recent operations.
In a separate engagement, operators from the Raid 413th Regiment tracked and struck russian Tor-M2 short-range air defense system near the settlement of Balashivka in Zaporizhzhia region.
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