Russia has a whole fleet of decoy drones they’re planning to confuse Ukraine with. Reports say they have 10,000 of them ready to fly. That means Ukrainian forces will be using a whole bunch of ammo trying to shoot them down. They have to hit every drone that comes overhead because the real killers will be mixed in with the decoys.
Decoy drone confusion
Decoy drones can be almost as effective as the real weapon at a fraction of the cost. Experts who keep an eye on these things noticed that “Russia is expanding drone production at its factory in Tatarstan.”
That’s keeping “young and low-skilled workers, including Russian teenagers and African women” off the streets and gainfully employed.
Ukrainians are getting tired of the repeated attempts by Russia to cripple their power grid. They’ve been pummeling Ukraine’s infrastructure with drones and missiles, “aiming to break civilian morale by disrupting power, water, and heating services.”
Over the years, since 2022, Zelenskyy’s forces have gotten much better at shooting down the incoming attacks. That’s been costing the Kremlin a bundle. Decoy drones in mass numbers are a huge game-changer.
CNN got a glimpse at some satellite images which analysts explain “show that two additional buildings and ground passages have been added to the factory complex in Tatarstan.”
That makes the facility 55% bigger than it was before. Security, they note, “has also been enhanced following Ukrainian drone strikes.” It seems the decoy models are being made at the same factory.
Main Shahed-136 producer
Reports from the intelligence analysts state that the factory in Alabuga is “now the main producer of Shahed-136 drones.” Spies inform them that the plant had “a contract to produce 6,000 drones by September 2025.”
It appears they were way ahead of schedule and got the order filled a whole year early. That leaves them plenty of time to make decoy drones that look exactly the same as the real thing.
The Washington Institute for Science and International Security has been tracking the Alabuga compound’s activities and relate “Alabuga has also been producing low-tech decoy drones, known as Gerbera, since summer 2024.”
Made from low-cost plywood and styrofoam, they carefully “mimic the characteristic triangular shape of the Shahed drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses in attacks.”
Zelenskyy’s military intelligence experts believe “Russia plans to produce about 10,000 of these decoy drones by the end of 2024, nearly double the number of Shahed drones.” They also note that the decoys cost “ten times less than a kamikaze drone.”
They’re of the opinion that “if Russia launches 150 drones at night, only 20 to 30 will be Shaheds.” Along with the decoy drone cover, latest models of the Shaheds are equipped with “thermobaric warheads,” which increases the “destruction capabilities.“
