In a dusty factory, a group of Ukrainians produce artillery that cannot fire, radar that cannot detect anything, and missiles that have no explosives.
The weapons being manufactured are actually decoy models intended to draw fire and consume Russian military ammunition, distracting attention from where Ukraine has deployed its real weapons. The location of the factory is not disclosed.
Over the course of more than a year, the team’s skills have improved. Using plastic, scrap wood, foam, and metal, they can create replicas of real weapons, with shapes that are enough to fool opponents observing them using images captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
At this factory, success depends on how quickly the dummy weapons are destroyed. “When the military comes here and says they’ve used up all the decoys, that means we’ve succeeded,” one worker said.
Workers make decoy weapons in Ukraine. Photo: Guardian
A cabinet at the factory displays “trophies,” including engines and pieces of the suicide UAV that was lured into attacking the dummy device.
For the staff here, Russia's attack on a decoy asset costs Moscow resources, which also means one less attack on Ukraine's real weapons positions.
“These things can save the lives of our comrades who are fighting. We are shared with pictures and remnants of decoy attacks by the military as proof that we have done a good job,” said one worker.
Everyone at the factory was on permanent secondment from Metinvest, the steel company that runs the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. A spokesman said Metinvest’s main shareholder was Ukraine’s richest man, Rinat Akhmetov, who backed the decoy plan.
The idea of creating decoy weapons came to three senior managers of the company when the war broke out, when the Ukrainian army was outgunned and the flow of weapons from the West was just at its beginning.
"We think that if the Russian military sees a lot of equipment, they will hesitate and not dare to move forward or shell an area. These decoys are psychological weapons," said a senior manager.
Wooden models of military equipment are displayed at a store in Ukraine in July. Photo: Scripps News
The manufacturing team regularly updates the "production line" to produce models similar to new weapons that have just entered the Ukrainian arsenal, as well as more realistic products.
One worker said manufacturing operations were simpler at the start of the war, when Russian troops attacked with weapons they could see. Now, with both sides using decoys, soldiers will have to do more reconnaissance to determine whether the weapons are real.
The production team also recently designed the fake weapon to radiate heat like a real weapon. This makes the model convincing even when viewed at night with a thermal imaging scope.
“We have to adapt to reality and always add new things. We evaluate our work this way: If nothing happens with the new decoy weapons, if they are not targeted, it proves that we made a mistake in the design,” the worker said.
In an encrypted letter sent by the Ukrainian military to the workshop there was an order for 50 models of a type of equipment. Metinvest's designer agreed and the team got to work.
First, they would download a series of photos of the requested weapon. Then the team would figure out which low-cost materials to use that would still look authentic under the camouflage paint. Items like pipes, discarded wooden crates, and old oil drums were all used.
Finally, workers will carefully mold each part based on the weapon's design. These model weapons will be shipped in flat layers, then assembled when they reach the front line. It takes soldiers only about 20 minutes to assemble a model gun.
The inflatable Abrams tank produced by Czech company Inflatech was introduced in March. Photo: Reuters
Workers at the factory believe their creation is superior to the Ukrainian inflatable weapon models previously used as decoys. Compared to inflatable weapons, decoys with metal frames are also easier to repair if partially damaged.
A worker said the Ukrainian military said the inflatable decoy had problems when it was windy or under certain weather conditions, it could blow away and not look real.
Decoy tactics have a long history in conflict. Dummy tanks were first deployed to great effect by the Allies during World War II. The United States also had a “ghost army” at the time, using fake sound effects, fake radio waves, and a series of illusions to simulate large troop movements. Some of the soldiers later went on to work in film and theater.
"We are looking forward to winning and not having to do this job anymore," said a model production worker.
Mr. Hoang (According to Guardian )
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