WP: the Ukrainian military use wooden HIMARS mockups to decoy Russian missiles

The Armed Forces of Ukraine use wooden mock-ups of weapons, including HIMARS, to decoy Russian missiles.

The Washington Post writes about this with reference to American and Ukrainian officials.

"The decoys are made of wood, but they cannot be distinguished from an artillery battery through the lens of Russian drones that transmit their location to missile carriers in the Black Sea," the publication writes.

It is noted that after several weeks in the field, the decoys attracted at least 10 “Kalibr” cruise missiles. This success forced Ukraine to expand the production of copies for wider use.

The publication explains that it is the destruction of Ukrainian decoys that can partially explain Russiaʼs unusually "boastful" assessment of the combat losses it allegedly inflicts on Ukraine by "destroying" Western artillery, in particular the HIMARS missile systems.

• On August 19, the U.S. Department of Defense announced a new $755 million aid package. It will have ammunition for HIMARS, 16 105mm howitzers and 36 000 shells, 15 ScanEagle drones, HARM anti-tank missiles, 1 000 TOW heavy anti-tank missiles and 1 000 Javelin anti-tank systems. In addition, the Pentagon reported that the USA will hand over NASAMS anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine in two to three months.