The methods of masking Russian military ships in the Black Sea are unlikely to yield results and reduce fleet losses.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom on Twitter.
As stated in the summary, Russian military doctrine pays great attention to the use of masking and deception methods to increase the survivability of military forces and conceal their operational intentions. The ineffective use of masking was one of the key operational failures of Russia in the early stages of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to British intelligence, Russian forces are likely making efforts to improve masking methods to mitigate heavy losses suffered over the past two years by both the Black Sea Fleet and the Aerospace Forces.
At Russian air bases, masking includes the imitation of aircraft and tire models on the wings of aircraft. It is reported that silhouettes of gliders are also painted on nine Russian air bases. Ships of the Black Sea Fleet have black coloring on the bow and stern, which presumably makes them military ships less visible and less attractive targets. Silhouettes of vessels are also painted on the sides of docks, likely to confuse Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle operators, according to the statement.
"Despite these attempts at concealment, Russian aircraft remain vulnerable in the air, as before, and Russian ships remain vulnerable during operations in the Black Sea. It is unlikely that the use of masking methods will lead to a significant reduction in losses," noted the Ministry of Defense of Britain.
