Marta Gichko09:01, 24.05.25

The modern battlefield proves that a careless attitude towards technology is fatal, especially when the enemy has drones that can see even what seems “invisible.”

Russian soldiers trying to avoid detection by Ukrainian drones, on the contrary, become easy prey for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The occupiers are issued with “invisibility cloaks”, but they do not disguise, but on the contrary, facilitate the task of Ukrainian intelligence, writes  The Telegraph.

Coats and blankets designed to hide thermal radiation have proven not only ineffective but also dangerous to the wearers themselves.

This special clothing was supposed to mask the soldiers’ body heat, making them less visible to thermal imagers and night vision devices. However, imperfect manufacturing technology and a lack of training among the military turned this equipment into the opposite effect. Instead of disappearing in the infrared spectrum, the soldiers became “black spots” on a warm background, clearly visible to Ukrainian FPV drones.

Former British Army colonel and chemical weapons expert Hamish de Bretton-Gordon says:

“It’s not an invisibility cloak. In fact, the contrast makes them more vulnerable.”

Ukrainian forces, using drones with thermal imaging cameras and real-time targeting systems, can easily spot Russian soldiers even in the dark. A video shot this week near Lyman shows Russian soldiers in “anti-drone cloaks” heading towards the positions of the Ukrainian 63rd Mechanized Brigade, only to be hit by a barrage of FPV drones.

“The ridiculous occupiers in the Liman area… put on anti-drone raincoats and thought they were safe now,” the brigade commented.

It’s hard to hide.

The situation with the thermal blankets used by other Russian units was no better. Due to a lack of instruction, soldiers left their limbs or heads exposed, making themselves easy targets.

“There have been instances of incompetence by Russian personnel who clearly don’t understand how to use their equipment,” said Nick Reynolds, a land warfare researcher at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon concluded: “It really highlights how difficult it is to hide on today’s battlefield… They need to cover their entire bodies.”

Russian versions of the camouflage suits reportedly cost as little as $47. At the same time, Ukrainian troops use more technologically advanced thermal camouflage suits. They weigh about 2.5 kg and are made of multi-layered materials, including polymer fibers, microstructures, and metal threads.

“Our goal is to camouflage the military and equipment from the enemy as reliably as possible,” Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Vitaliy Polovenko previously stated.

(c)UNIAN 2025