In the dusty factory, a group of Ukrainians produced artillery that couldn't fire, radar couldn't detect anything, and rockets had no explosives.
Weapons are made in fact are decoy models to attract firepower and consume ammunition of the Russian army, distracting from the places where Ukraine deploys real weapons. The location of the factory was not disclosed.
For more than a year, the crafting team's skills were steadily improving. With plastic, scrap wood, styrofoam and metal, they can create replicas of real weapons, with shapes enough to fool opponents with images captured by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
At this factory, their success depended on how quickly the fake weapons were destroyed. "When the army comes here and says we've run out of decoys, that means we've succeeded," said one.
Workers making decoy weapons in Ukraine. Image: Guardian
A cabinet at the workshop displayed "trophies", including engines and fragments of suicide UAVs that were lured to attack the fake device.
For the staff here, the fact that Russia attacked a decoy weapon caused Moscow to lose resources, which also meant one less attack on Ukraine's real weapons location.
“These things can save the lives of our friends who are fighting. We have the military share photos and remnants of the decoy attacks as proof that we did a good job,” said one worker.
Everyone at the factory is an indefinite seconded employee of the Metinvest steel company, which operates the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. A spokesman said Metinvest's main shareholder is Ukraine's richest billionaire, Rinat Akhmetov, who supports the decoy scheme.
Three senior managers of the company came up with the idea of making a decoy weapon when hostilities broke out, at a time when the Ukrainian army was overwhelmed in weapons and the flow of weapons received from the West was only in the beginning. .
“We think that if the Russian military sees a lot of weapons, they will hesitate and will not dare to move forward or shell an area. These decoys are psychological weapons,” said a senior manager.
A model of a weapon made from wood is displayed at a store in Ukraine in July. Photo: ScrippsNews
The production team regularly updates the "production line" to produce similar models of new weapons that have just been introduced into Ukraine's arsenal, as well as more authentic products.
One worker said manufacturing was simpler at the beginning of the war, when the Russian army attacked weapons they could see. Now, when both use decoy weapons, soldiers will scout more closely to determine if the weapon is real or not.
The production team also recently designed a fake weapon to radiate heat like a real weapon. This makes the model convincing even at night with the thermal viewfinder.
“We have to adapt to reality and always add new things. We evaluate the work this way: If nothing happens to the new decoys, if they are not targeted, that proves we have a design flaw." said the worker.
In an coded letter that the Ukrainian military sent to the workshop, there was an order for 50 models of a weapon. The Metinvest designer agreed and the team got to work.
Initially, they will upload a series of photos of the requested weapon. The team then calculates which cheap materials to use still look authentic under camouflage paint. Items such as water pipes, discarded wooden crates or old oil tanks are all used.
Finally, workers would base the weapon's blueprints on and meticulously mold each part. These model weapons will be shipped in flat layered form, then assembled when they reach the front lines. Soldiers only took about 20 minutes to assemble into a model cannon.
Abrams inflatable tank manufactured by Czech company Inflatech was introduced in March. Photo: Reuters
The workers at the workshop believe their creation is superior to the Ukrainian inflatable weapon model used as bait in the past. Compared to inflatable weapons, metal frame bait also makes it easier to repair if partially damaged.
One worker said the Ukrainian military said that the inflatable bait had problems when it was windy or under certain weather conditions, it could blow away and look unreal.
The tactic of using decoys has existed throughout the history of conflict. Dummy tanks were first deployed by the Allies to great effect during World War II. At that time, the US also had a "ghost army", using sound effects, fake radio waves, and a series of illusions to simulate large troop movements. Some soldiers later worked in film and theater.
"We're looking forward to winning and don't need to do this work anymore," said one worker who made the model.
Mr. Hoang (Follow Guardian)
