Tied to a branch, the mannequin dressed in a Russian uniform had been propped up to appear like a soldier crouching menacingly behind an anti-tank missile, covering a key approach road for Ukrainian forces. By Thursday, it had toppled into the dirt, and the effect was no longer frightening. Instead it seemed ridiculous.
Across the narrow road heading south towards Nova Kakhovka in Kherson province another dummy was visible, placed this time as if peering over the top of a dugout.
