The Russian Navy is applying a radical new approach to protecting its most valuable warships from Ukrainian attacks. A deceptive camouflage scheme has been applied to the frigate Admiral Essen. This tries to confuse Ukrainian drone operators into mistaking their target. How well it will work is open to question.
One of the Russian Navy’s two Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates in the Black Sea has received a radical new paint scheme. Satellite images confirm that the bow and stern have been painted out. The dark paint applied over the uniform gray scheme is intended to deceive the onlooker.
The attempt at deceptive camouflage is likely a response to the Ukrainian Navy’s maritime drone threat. These use cameras to identify the target. Possibly the scheme is intended to confuse the drone operators into mistaking it for a less valuable target.
The satellite images, from Planet, were shared online by Ukraine war observer MT Anderson. Since the initial clear images in Sevastopol on June 19, the same ship has appeared in Novorossiysk on June 21. Together with other sources seen by Naval News, this confirms that the dark markings are a new paint scheme and not just a trick of light. Naval News is confident that the bow and stern of the ship have been painted out.
Although not seen in decades, this trick will be quickly appreciated by naval historians. During World War Two the Kriegsmarine applied a similar camouflage to the battleship K.M.S. Bismarck. This combined elements of both a deceptive and disruptive camouflage. The deceptive part, which is relevant here, was a false bow and stern painted in a dark color. There was even a fake bow wave and wake to match the apparent shortening of the hull. This was an attempt to confuse the observer to the size, and therefore the identity, of the ship.