Satellite images show the unusual tire tactic and fake decoy aircraft that failed to save Russia’s bombers from Ukrainian drones

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Satellite images show the unusual tire tactic and fake decoy aircraft that failed to save Russia’s bombers from Ukrainian drones

Satellite images show Russia tried using deceptive tactics at the airbases Ukraine attacked Sunday.

These tactics included placing tires on wings and painting fake decoy planes on the ground.

It’s a playbook that Moscow has used throughout the war to try to protect its airbases.

Satellite imagery of the four Russian airbases that were attacked by Ukraine on Sunday shows how Moscow attempted to use deceptive tactics to protect its strategic bomber fleet.

The images, captured by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider, show that Russia had many of its bombers covered with tires and other objects in the days and weeks before

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Moscow’s forces also painted fake aircraft on the tarmac and used debris to create decoy planes.

Ukraine’s SBU, its internal security agency, said it used small quadcopter drones to

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in the daring operation, more than 18 months in the making. These aircraft include A-50 airborne early warning and control planes, An-12 transporters, Il-78 refueling tankers, and Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers.

The drones

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across Russia, specifically Belaya in the Irkutsk region, Olenya in the Murmansk region, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, and Ivanovo in the Ivanovo region. Ukrainka in the Amur region was reportedly targeted but not hit.

Different types of

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can be seen in satellite imagery of all five sites at various points in time before the attack.

Tu-160 bombers with objects on their wings and a decoy aircraft painted on the tarmac are seen at Belaya airbase on May 20, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

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Tires and other objects are seen on four Tu-22M bombers at Belaya airbase on May 20, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, told *** that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow’s forces have “added flat decoy aircraft to many air bases and placed tires on top of parked planes in an effort to confuse the targeting systems of Ukrainian weapons.”

Africk said the new satellite imagery shows that Russia also “placed debris on top of flat decoys and positioned solid objects on the ground in the rough shape of aircraft” in what looks like an “apparent attempt to increase the chances of misleading Ukrainian weapons.”

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A decoy Tu-22M bomber covered with debris is seen at Belaya airbase on May 20, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

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Another decoy aircraft is seen at Beyala airbase on May 20, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

Africk said that Russia’s flat decoy aircraft — in some cases, they are just

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silhouettes; in others, they are painted to look like the planes they’re intended to resemble —

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in the radar-based satellite imagery that the Ukrainian military is

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to use.

“It is clear from the number of aircraft destroyed that Ukraine’s attack on these bases was very successful, despite Russia’s attempts at deception,” he said.

New video footage from the attack shows drones striking aircraft with tires in place.

A ‘devastating blow’ to Russian aviation

The Ukrainian attack was

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from any other deep strike in scope and scale. The SBU said that planning began more than a year and a half ago. The agency smuggled the explosive-packed quadcopter drones into Russia and then sent wooden containers to house them.

In Russia, operatives hid the drones in the containers, which were placed on trucks and driven to positions near the airbases. On Sunday, the tops of the containers were opened remotely, allowing the drones to fly out simultaneously and attack their targets.

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Two A-50 aircraft with tires and apparent debris on their wings are seen at Ivanono airbase on May 3, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

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Three Tu-95 bombers with objects on their wings and a decoy on the tarmac are seen at Ukrainka airbase on May 27, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies.

The SBU said the attack took out a third of

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, causing more than $7 billion in losses. Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, the agency’s chief, called it a “devastating blow” to Moscow’s aviation and a “serious slap in the face” to the Kremlin’s power projection.

*** could not independently verify the reported details of the operation, including how many aircraft were damaged or destroyed, and the cost of the losses. Russia’s defense ministry has acknowledged but downplayed the attack.

The bombers that were targeted have been used in devastating strikes against Ukraine throughout the conflict. These aircraft can travel long distances and carry heavy payloads.

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An Il-76 aircraft with objects on its wings and a decoy aircraft painted on the tarmac are seen at Dyagilevo airbase on March 9, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

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Two Tu-22 bombers with objects on their wings are seen at Olenya airbase on May 23, 2025.Satellite image ©2025 Maxar Technologies

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 first-person view (FPV) drones and as many operators were involved in the massive attack. He said the planning and organization “was perfectly executed” and called it “an absolutely unique operation.”

The attack underscores the increasing role that cheap drones and surprise play in modern warfare. One of the airbases that was hit, Belaya, is over 2,500 miles from the Ukrainian border, demonstrating Kyiv’s long reach and its ability to slip past Russian defenses.

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#Satellite #images #show #unusual #tire #tactic #fake #decoy #aircraft #failed #save #Russias #bombers #Ukrainian #drones

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