Moldovan authorities announced on November 10th that fragments of drones had been discovered following Russia’s aerial attacks against Ukraine.
Two drones were found on Sunday in Moldova’s Căușeni and Rîșcani districts and were identified as the latest Russian decoy drones, known as “Parodya.”
The “Parodya” drone is one of the primary decoy drones that Russia has been deploying extensively in its air attacks on Ukraine, intended to divert and exhaust Ukrainian air defense systems.
Unlike long-range suicide drones, the Parodya lacks any explosive payload. These drones are smaller and more cost-effective than the Shahed-136 but use a Luneberg lens to simulate the radar signature of a larger drone, complicating identification by air defense operators.
An analysis of the downed Parodya drones revealed a significant reliance on foreign components, highlighting the limitations of Russia’s domestic production capabilities. Despite their relatively basic wooden frame, the Parodya drones utilize a flight control module containing components from a range of international suppliers, including manufacturers based in China (Ebyte, Jiashan Jinchang Electron, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology), the United States (Texas Instruments, Cypress Semiconductor, InvenSense), Switzerland (STMicroelectronics), and Taiwan (SONiX Technology).
The presence of Western components in these decoy drones adds to the growing body of evidence that Russia continues to use critical technologies sourced from foreign manufacturers, despite sanctions and attempts to limit such access.
These drones are an essential part of Russia’s strategy to weaken Ukrainian air defenses by overwhelming them with false targets.