Russia’s faulty invisibility cloaks leave Putin’s troops as sitting ducks for Ukraine’s drones and soldiers with night-vision cameras

Faulty invisibility cloaks being used by Russian soldiers have turned Putin’s troops into sitting ducks for Ukrainian drones. 

The coats and blankets are designed to hide army members from thermal and night vision sensors by masking their body heat. 

But a fault in the technology and the Russian soldiers’ lack of training in how to use the garments has made them a a bold target for Ukrainian drone strikes, The Telegraph reports. 

Footage shows how Russians are standing out more than ever, with their arms, legs and heads seen peaking out from their clothing. 

This is because rather than concealing body heat, the so-called invisibility cloaks are creating cold spots against a warmer natural environment, making the Russians easier to detect. 

Ukrainian drones often pick up on Russian activity by using thermal imaging, allowing them to conduct precise air strikes, even at night.

As a result, Russian soldiers are essentially being led towards their enemy despite believing that they are going unnoticed.

It comes as Russia and Ukraine today exchanged hundreds of prisoners as part of a major swap that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire. 

Faulty invisibility cloaks being used by Russian soldiers have turned Putin’s troops into sitting ducks for Ukrainian drones

The coats and blankets are designed to hide army members from thermal and night vision sensors

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russia’s defense ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians. 

‘Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,’ Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel.

‘We expect more to come tomorrow,’ he added. Russia’s defense ministry also said it expected the exchange to be continued, though it did not give details.

The news came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured, according to local officials. 

Explosions and anti-aircraft fire were heard throughout Kyiv as many sought shelter in subway stations.

In talks held in Istanbul earlier this month that marked the first time the two sides met face to face for peace talks since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. 

It was a rare moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire in the three-year-old war.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 14 ballistic missiles and 250 Shahed drones overnight, officials said, adding that Ukrainian forces shot down 6 missiles and neutralized 245 drones — 128 drones were shot down and 117 were thwarted using electronic warfare.

Russia and Ukraine today exchanged hundreds of prisoners as part of a major swap that was a moment of cooperation in otherwise failed efforts to reach a ceasefire

Ukrainian prisoner of war (POW) Oleksandr embraces his wife Olena as he returns after a swap, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

Zelenskyy and Russia’s defense ministry said each side brought home 307 more soldiers, a day after each released a total of 390 combatants and civilians

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) react following a prisoner swap at an undisclosed location, Ukraine, 24 May 2025

The news of the prisoner swap came hours after Kyiv came under a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack that left at least 15 people injured

local resident looks out of the window of his flat in a multistorey residential building, damaged following a Russian drone strike on Kyiv on May 24, 2025, amid Russian invasion in Ukraine

The head of Kyiv’s civil and military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, reported fires and fallen debris in several parts of the Ukrainian capital

The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital

The Kyiv City Military Administration said it was one of the biggest combined missile and drone attacks on the capital.

‘A difficult night for all of us,’ the administration said in a statement.

The debris of intercepted missiles and drones fell in at least six city districts of the Ukrainian capital. 

According to the acting head of Kyiv’s military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, six people required medical care after the attack and two fires were sparked in the Solomianskyi district of Kyiv.

The Obolon district, where a residential building was heavily damaged in the attack, was the hardest hit. There were at least five wounded in the area, the administration said.

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