Parodiya
Saturates air defence with a Shahed-like radar picture
An unarmed Russian plywood decoy, smaller and cheaper than the Geran, that looks like a Shahed on radar thanks to a Luneburg lens. Seen in Ukrainian airspace since at least autumn 2024 and built to a higher finish than the Gerbera. It flies in almost every large attack wave.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Characteristics
- Armament
- None — pure decoy
- Construction
- Plywood airframe; Luneburg lens that mimics the radar return of a Shahed/Geran
- Components
- Flight controller with parts from China, the US, Switzerland and Taiwan (HUR, Nov. 2024)
- Versus Gerbera
- Both are decoys; the Parodiya is built in more detail. Ukrainian Air Force tallies list it separately next to Shahed and Gerbera
Relevance
- Scale
- Per HUR (Nov. 2024) about half of the drones launched were decoys (Gerbera, Parodiya); the share of false targets in one mass attack can reach ~50%
- Use in 2026
- A fixed part of mixed waves of Shahed (propeller and jet), Gerbera and Parodiya, e.g. on 8–10 Sep and 24–29 Sep 2026 — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260910-10, e-20260924-02, e-20260930-02
- Effect
- Every interceptor spent on a Parodiya is missing for the real attack drone — see the Gerbera card and chapter 4.3
News archive 21
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«Три ракети та 112 дронів знищили сили ППО під час нічної атаки» (ArmyInform: 'Air defence destroys three missiles and 112 drones during overnight attack')
ArmyInform, citing the Ukrainian Air Force, reports that during the night of 26 October (from 18:00 on 25 October) Russia attacked with missiles and strike drones. According to the Air Force, Russia launched one Kh-31P anti-radiation missile and three Kh-59/69 guided air-launched missiles from occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts, plus 140 Sha…
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«Сили оборони перехопили за ніч 119 ворожих БПЛА, 64 з яких — реактивні» (ArmyInform: 'Defence Forces intercepted 119 enemy UAVs overnight, 64 of them jet-powered')
On the night of 24–25 October Russia attacked Ukraine with 153 Shahed-type strike drones, 92 of them jet-powered, together with S8000 "Banderol/Dan-T", Gerbera and "Parodiya" decoy drones, ArmyInform reports, citing the Ukrainian Air Force. As of 08:00, air defence had shot down or suppressed 119 Shahed-type, Gerbera and other drones, 64 of them jet-powered…
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«Уночі підрозділи ППО знешкодили 50 реактивних дронів» (ArmyInform: 'Air defence units neutralised 50 jet-powered drones overnight')
On the night of 23–24 October Russia launched 126 strike drones at Ukraine – Shahed-type, S8000 "Banderol/Dan-T", Gerbera and "Parodiya" decoy drones – ArmyInform reports, citing the Ukrainian Air Force. As of 08:00, air defence had shot down or suppressed 101 drones, including 50 jet-powered Shahed-type drones, plus S8000, Gerbera and other types. Hits wer…
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War on the Rocks: deception against automated sensing and decision chains, drawing on Russo-Ukrainian combat lessons
In an analysis for War on the Rocks, Édouard R. Maurin (call sign FIDES) argues that concealment alone no longer protects manoeuvre on a battlefield made transparent by sensors and drones. Maurin is a French veteran who served in 2024–2025 with an international volunteer section attached to a Ukrainian special-purpose battalion near Pokrovsk. He also runs F…
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«Сили оборони перехопили за ніч 140 ворожих БПЛА, 68 з яких — реактивні» (ArmyInform: 'Defence Forces intercepted 140 enemy UAVs overnight, 68 of them jet-powered')
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, relayed by ArmyInform on Friday 23 October, Russia launched 176 attack drones at Ukraine overnight: Shahed-type drones (92 of them jet-powered), Gerbera drones and 'Parodiya'-type decoy drones. Launch directions given were Bryansk, Shatalovo, Oryol, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia, and occupied Donetsk and Hvardi…
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Russia hits Kyiv with Iskander-M, S-400, Zircon and Oniks missiles and 210 drones, including cluster-armed Iskanders in the historic centre, hours after the Putin–Witkoff meeting; at least 9 killed across Ukraine
Russia launched a combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine from 18:00 on 21 October 2026 into the morning of 22 October, with Kyiv as the main target. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia fired Iskander-M ballistic missiles, S-400 missiles, Zircon and Oniks missiles from Kursk, Bryansk and Rostov oblasts, together with 210 drones: Shahed (110 of the…
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Russian drone and missile attack on the night of 20-21 October and daytime strikes on 21 October kill at least five: Kyiv high-rise, Korotych (Kharkiv Oblast), a double-tap strike in Chernihiv, universities in Kremenchuk and Uman, children injured in Chortkiv
Russia attacked Ukraine overnight on 20-21 October, starting at 18:00 on 20 October, with Iskander-K cruise missiles launched from airspace over Rostov Oblast and 186 attack drones, 88 of them jet-powered Shaheds, plus S8000 Banderol/Dan-T, Gerbera and Parodiya-type decoys, according to Ukraine's Air Force as reported by Mezha. The drones were launched from…
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«Сили оборони перехопили вночі 115 ворожих БПЛА, 73 з яких — реактивні» (ArmyInform: 'Defence Forces intercepted 115 enemy UAVs overnight, 73 of them jet-powered')
Citing Ukraine's Air Force, ArmyInform reports that Russia launched 165 attack drones on the night of 19–20 October, 105 of them jet-powered Shahed-type drones. The rest of the package was made up of S8000 Banderol/Dan-T, Gerbera and Parodiya decoy drones. By 08:00 (preliminary figures), Ukraine had downed or suppressed 115 drones, including 73 jet-powered…
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Russia launches 165 drones overnight, 105 of them jet-powered; strikes hit Izium and a Lviv Oblast energy facility
According to Ukraine's Air Force, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Russia attacked Ukraine with 165 drones on the night of 19–20 October, starting at 18:00 on 19 October. No fewer than 105 of them were jet-powered. The package consisted of Shahed and Gerbera attack drones, S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T drone- and air-launched cruise missiles, and Parodiya decoys, l…
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Russia strikes Ukraine overnight 16–17 October with Iskander-M/KN-23, Kh-22/32, Kalibr and 332 drones; no ballistic or Kh-22/32 missiles reported intercepted
On the night of 16–17 October Russia carried out a combined missile and drone attack on Ukraine, according to Ukraine's Air Force as reported by Ukrainska Pravda. It used Iskander-M/KN-23 ballistic missiles, Kh-22/32 cruise missiles, four sea-launched Kalibr cruise missiles and 332 Shahed (31 jet-powered) and Gerbera attack drones, plus S-8000 Banderol dron…
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Russian drone and Banderol waves of 15–16 October push west to Rivne and Volyn on NATO border; jet-powered Gerans dominate night strike
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 149 strike drones on the night of 15–16 October, 108 of them jet-powered Shahed types, alongside Gerbera drones and Parodiya decoys, from Oryol, occupied Donetsk Oblast and Hvardiiske in occupied Crimea. Air defence shot down or jammed 114 (77 of the jet-powered ones). Twenty-seven aerial assets struck 24 lo…
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Russia fires 39 ballistic-trajectory missiles and 128 drones, 77 of them jet-powered, at Ukraine overnight on 13-14 October: three killed in Kyiv, power cut in five districts
Russia carried out a massed combined strike on Ukraine between 18:00 on 13 October and the morning of 14 October, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. It says its radio-technical troops tracked 167 air-attack assets. These were 39 missiles flying ballistic trajectories, listed as Iskander-M, KN-23, S-400, Zircon and Oniks and launched from Kursk, Bryansk,…
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«Сили ППО вночі знешкодили 114 ворожих БПЛА, більшість — реактивні» (ArmyInform: Air defence forces neutralised 114 enemy UAVs overnight, most of them jet-powered)
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, as relayed by ArmyInform, Russia attacked Ukraine overnight on 9 October (from 18:00 on 8 October) with a total of 136 drones: Shahed-type strike drones, Gerbera drones and Parodiya-type decoy drones. 93 of the 136 drones in total were jet-powered Shaheds (just over two-thirds). The drones were launched from the directi…
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Russian drones strike Kyiv's Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge three times in one day, the first attack on a Kyiv bridge since 2022, and hit the Institute for Nuclear Research and a school with sheltering children; 107 drones launched nationwide, 63 jet-powered
Russia struck a bridge in Kyiv for the first time since the full-scale invasion, Meduza reports, as part of a run of drone attacks on the capital between the evening of 30 September and 1 October 2026. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, two drones hit near a support of the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge, which carries road traffic and the green m…
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Сили ППО знешкодили 146 реактивних дронів за день
ArmyInform (the Ukrainian armed forces' media outlet) reports that between 06:30 and 18:30 on 30 September Russia launched 285 attack drones, 174 of them jet-powered ("reactive") Geran-type drones, and that Ukrainian air defences neutralised 254 drones, of which 146 were jet-powered. For the preceding night (29-30 September) it reports 188 attack drones, in…
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Russian combined strike on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, 29-30 Sep: Zircon/Oniks, Iskander and 188 drones, energy infrastructure the main target
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia attacked Ukraine on the night of 29-30 September (from 18:00 on 29 September) with Zircon/Oniks anti-ship missiles launched from Kursk Oblast, Iskander-M/S-400 ballistic missiles launched from Voronezh and Bryansk oblasts, and 188 drones: Shahed (86 of them jet-powered), Gerbera attack drones and Parodiya decoy UAVs.…
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Night of 28-29 Sep: Russia strikes Ukraine with a Zircon, two ballistic missiles and 152 drones; Air Force claims 109 downed, two unexploded ballistic warheads defused in Kyiv
Russia attacked Ukraine overnight on 28-29 September 2026 with one Zircon/Oniks anti-ship missile, two Iskander-M or S-400 ballistic missiles (launched from Kursk Oblast) and 152 drones, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The drones were Shahed types (82 of them jet-powered), Gerbera attack drones and Parodiya decoys, launched from Oryol, Millerovo, Kursk an…
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Russia's 26–27 September drone strikes hit Kyivstar's head office, Kyiv data centres and foreign-owned warehouses as the campaign against Ukraine's communications and logistics continues
According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched 170 strike UAVs overnight on 26–27 September, starting at 18:00 on 26 September: Shahed-type drones (76 of them jet-powered), Gerbera drones and Parodiya-type decoys, from the areas of Oryol, Kursk, Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Shatalovo, occupied Donetsk and occupied Crimea. By 07:30, 147 had been shot down or ja…
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Russia strikes Kyiv in overnight, daytime and evening drone waves on 25 September; 173 drones, over 50 of them jet-powered, launched the following night
Russia struck Kyiv in several separate drone waves on 25 September rather than in a single night-time raid. Overnight and into the morning, drones hit high-rise residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Pecherskyi districts (one at fourth-floor level, another between the seventh and tenth floors), killing a 14-year-old, Meduza reported, citing Mayor Vit…
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Russia strikes Kyiv with drones by day, then Zircon and Iskander-M missiles overnight; Zelensky claims 60% of ballistic missiles intercepted
Over roughly 24 hours on 23–24 September 2026, Russia struck Kyiv first with a daytime drone attack and then overnight with a combined missile and drone strike. On the morning of 23 September, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported drone hits on petrol stations in Holosiivskyi and Darnytskyi districts, a transport infrastructure facility, a four-storey busine…
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Russia hammers Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones, missiles and glide bombs, 8-10 September 2026
Russia continued its intensive bombardment of Ukrainian cities through a second consecutive night, extending the heavy combined salvo of 8-9 September into the night of 9-10 September. On 8-9 September, Russian forces struck with Iskander-M ballistic missiles, S8000 "Banderol" missiles and roughly 196 Shahed-type attack drones (including jet-powered variant…