(Reuters) – The commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s air force said on Saturday his forces had fooled Russian troops by deploying missiles against sophisticated models designed to look like military targets.
Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on the Telegram messaging app that the models depicted fighter jets and a surface-to-air missile battery. They were installed at an airfield near the central city of Kriviy Rih and a district of the Black Sea port of Odessa.
A video attached to the post, described as footage from a Russian reconnaissance drone, showed what Oleshchuk said were Russian Iskander missiles attacking the representations.
“The Air Force personnel carried out passive defense measures!” Oleshchuk wrote.
“Thanks to all those who contributed to the production of high-quality aircraft models and SAM systems. The enemy now has fewer Iskander missiles and more models will be delivered.”
Oleshchuk said he had made the deception public “as an exception, to show the public that not everything is simple.”
(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Oleksander Kozhukhar; editing by Leslie Adler)
