Russian military forces are employing a new tactic for airstrikes against Ukraine by utilizing counterfeit drones, specifically models known as "Parody."
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, in October, the Russian Federation launched approximately 1,000 of these drones without warheads, which create the illusion of actual strike UAVs. These UAVs are equipped with Luneberg lenses that simulate volumetric targets for interception systems. In this way, the Russians aim to overload Ukrainian air defense systems.
Research on the "Parody" drones has revealed that Russia is unable to manufacture these UAVs entirely on its own. Their components were found to include electronic parts from Western and Asian countries, including the USA, Switzerland, China, and Taiwan. It is also noted that the most expensive component of these drones is the engine, with the overall cost of the device estimated at 100-200 dollars per unit.
On November 10, two of these drones crashed in Moldova. In total, Russia launched about 2,000 drones against Ukraine in October, half of which were these "decoys."
Experts point out that the tactic of using "Parody" drones has proven to be somewhat more effective than previous cheap "plywood" drones like "Gerbera." However, the effectiveness statistics for UAVs remain low: only 4.83% of Russian drones in October reached their targets, while others were either shot down or suppressed by electronic warfare systems.