Image © Planet Labs PBC
- Russia has a history of painting decoy military aircraft at its airbases around the country.
- Analysts say the tactic is an attempt to mislead Ukraine when it carries out long-range attacks.
- Both Moscow and Kyiv have used decoys to try and deceive the other side throughout the war.
Russia has a history of painting fake aircraft at its bases to try and fool Ukraine, and recent satellite imagery reveals that Moscow has extended this practice into the new year.
Deception continues to play a crucial role as the grinding war between Moscow and Kyiv nears the two-year mark. Both sides have made use of decoys in an attempt to trick the other. But Russia's aircraft paintings are unconvincing compared to inflatable models, for example.