Russia uses deadly thermobaric drones alongside decoys against Ukraine – AP

Russian forces have started deploying deadly thermobaric drones alongside numerous decoy UAVs, which are not armed with explosives, in their large-scale drone attacks against Ukraine.

Source: Associated Press (AP)

Details: A factory in Russia's Alabuga special economic zone recently began producing thermobaric drones along with decoys, AP has found.

Thermobaric warheads generate a powerful vortex of intense heat and pressure capable of breaching thick walls. They consume all the oxygen in their vicinity, leaving a devastating effect that extends far beyond the explosion itself, causing severe injuries such as lung damage, eye injuries, and brain trauma.

A source familiar with Russian drone production revealed that in late 2022, Russia devised a decoy strategy called Operation False Target. The plan involved launching armed drones alongside dozens of decoys, sometimes packed with rags or foam, which appeared identical to the real threat on radar. This tactic compels Ukrainian forces to make rapid decisions on how to allocate their limited resources to protect lives and safeguard critical infrastructure.

AP cites the source and Ukrainian electronics expert Serhii Beskrestnov, who stated that decoy drones account for more than half of the drones targeting Ukraine.

Beskrestnov, also known as Flash, explained that thermobaric drones were first deployed in the summer. He estimates that they now constitute between 3% and 5% of all drones used in attacks against Ukraine.

"This type of warhead has the possibility to destroy a huge building, especially block flats. And it’s very effective if the Russian Federation tries to attack our power plants," he said.

Due to optical trickery, radar is unable to differentiate between a drone carrying a usual 50kg explosive payload or thermobaric weapons and one without a warhead or equipped only with surveillance cameras. As a result, even though decoys now make up the majority of the drone swarm, Ukraine cannot afford to let anything through.

"For us, it’s just a point on the radar … It has speed, direction, and altitude. We have no way of identifying the exact target during flight, so we have to either jam them with electronic warfare or use firepower to neutralise them. The enemy uses these to scatter our attention," said Colonel Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for Ukraine's Air Force.

Background: Earlier, Ukrainian news outlet Defense Express reported that Russia had begun to use thermobaric warheads on Shahed-136 loitering munitions en masse, which pose a much greater threat when striking buildings.

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