Russia's painted decoys on runways: A new tactic or camouflage?

Painting life-size aircraft replicas on the tarmac is not standard practice. Observations indicated that Russians depicted nearly every type of aircraft found at their airports, including Su-27, Su-35, MiG-31, and even the strategic bombers Tu-95MS.

According to the defense website defence.ua.com, it remains uncertain whether the goal of the Russians' actions was indeed to mislead the guidance systems of long-range kamikaze drones. Analyst Brady Africk delved into this matter, discovering that these imitation paintings were spotted at nine Russian airports.

Determining the exact reason behind these painted imitations is challenging, especially since they are not perfect replicas—lacking shadows and specific details like engines or the pilot's cabin. Given that image analysis can relatively easily differentiate between an actual aircraft and its imitation, it seems unlikely that the Ukrainians would target these decoys. Thus, it suggests the Russians might have had different intentions.

**Why do Russians paint aircraft?**

To understand how many enemy aircraft have been destroyed, Ukrainians could use satellite images that reveal the number of planes at airbases. It's possible the Russians painted these aircraft to obscure the accurate assessment of combat losses.

Verifying whether a plane was damaged or returned requires prolonged surveillance of airfields. The presence of fake planes complicates this task even further. Despite these efforts, Ukrainians have been able to estimate their adversaries' losses, with recent reports indicating 13 Russian aircraft were shot down.