Ukraine was the first to use balloons with reflectors to disorient the Russian air defense forces a year ago, an anonymous source in the Ukrainian Air Force told the local Strana newspaper, RIA Novosti reported.

Earlier, Yuriy Ignat, a representative of the command of the Air Force of Ukraine, said the balloons appeared over Ukrainian territory, according to him, they were allegedly launched from Russian territory. On Wednesday, he said the balloons were being used as decoys to deplete and distract Ukrainian air defenses.

"Ukraine was the first to use these balloons a year ago. We were launching balloons over their territory, they watched and started doing the same thing. This is an ordinary helium balloon wrapped in foil, which flies at the speed of the wind, and whose main task is to disorient the air defense," the publication quotes a source in its Telegram channel.