Putin’s ‘Mystery Missiles’: Russia Firing Decoys From Iskander-M Ballistic Missiles

KYIV, UKRAINE — Iskander-M short-range ballistic missiles fired into Ukraine from Russia have been found to contain decoys that trick air-defense radars and heat-seeking missiles, according to The Drive.

One 9M723 missile can be loaded with at least six of what the Collective Awareness to Unexploded Ordnance group has identified as Russian 9B899 submunition.

These decoys are released during the terminal phase of the missile’s flight, according to Michael Duitsman of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, likely in response to the primary, 9M723 missile being illuminated by air defense radars, according to The Drive.

The decoys themselves seem to contain a jammer that can disrupt radar-frequency emitters and a heat source to mislead infrared-guided missiles, and The New York Times explains that their use could partly explain Ukrainian air-defense weapons’ difficulty in intercepting Russia’s Iskander missiles.