Russian missiles wasted on Ukrainian decoys as war rages on

The Russian Federation's army continues to waste valuable missiles on worthless weapon mock-ups used by Ukrainians. The Russians fell for this long-used tactic and struck a model of a towed M777 howitzer, calibre 6 inches, which costs around £800 to produce. In contrast, one Krasnopol missile costs about £32,000.

The presence of military equipment mock-ups is a tactic employed by both sides in the conflict—Ukrainians and Russians. The former has mastered the skill of building equipment that effectively lures Russian missiles and drones.

So far, the Ukrainian mock-ups seen on the frontline are not just paintings on concrete – as the Russians used to do recently – but high-quality constructions that often resemble real weapons to a tee. Examples include models of HIMARS and the M1097 Avenger air defence system and the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel radar, which the Russians mistook for real equipment.

The defending army does not cease hunting the Russians. It constantly employs a refined tactic of luring the enemy with mock-ups of marginal value – especially given the value of the missiles the Russians use to hit false targets. Recently, a photo of a Russian weapon hitting a camouflaged M777 howitzer mock-up hidden in the bushes appeared in the media. Now, Ukrainians report another such incident.

According to the Military News UA profile on platform X, Ukrainian soldiers shared a photo of a towed M777 howitzer mock-up, calibre 6 inches, which was destroyed by a precision Krasnopol missile. The Russians once again struck equipment that essentially had no value – its sole purpose being to attract attention and lure the shelling of valuable Russian missiles.

To clarify, the weapon the Russian Federation used to shell the Ukrainian mock-up, the 30F39 Krasnopol, is a Russian artillery high-explosive missile. These 6-inch calibre missiles use a laser beam for target guidance. The export version (Krasnopol-M) has a 6-inch calibre.

The probability of hitting the designated target with this missile reaches 95% at a maximum target speed of 22 mph. The ammunition weighs about 110 pounds, with the warhead alone weighing 24 pounds, of which the explosive material weighs 15 pounds. The range (depending on the version) extends from 12 to 15 miles.

The towed M777 howitzer, whose mock-up was hit by the Russians, is, in its original version, a popular weapon on the frontline. The defenders received it, among other things, from Estonia in 2023. The British are responsible for producing this equipment, working under a contract with the USA, and designing the weapon to be the appropriate size to fit into a C-130 aircraft. It was also crucial for the US military to adapt the howitzer for unloading on open beaches from light vessels.

The M777 measures about 33 feet in combat position and weighs 8,000 pounds. It fires at targets using a 6-inch calibre barrel, 128 inches long, which can shoot shells up to a distance of 19 miles when using improved ammunition (with additional rocket propulsion). The M777 can also fire M982 Excalibur shells, which reach a distance of 25 miles.