They’re Ukrainian, not Russian. When I first saw the video some hours ago, I was horrified. But those thermite armed drines are not as bad as they look:
“Rather than staying in one place, the moving drone spreads the product of the thermite reaction along its flight path as it burns. This is not likely to cause casualties. The droplets of molten iron fall like a sprinkle of white-hot rain, but anyone in a bunker or covered trench will be safe and even in the open troops in helmets and body armor are well protected, so long as they do not make the mistake of looking up.
What the thermite rain will do though is set alight any flammable material it falls on. After a dry summer, crops and vegetation burns easily and the thermite spray leaves hundreds of thousands of tiny fires in its wake. As the video shows, some of these spread and join up to create larger conflagrations. The combined effect of smoke and flame may present more of a problem to occupying troops and force them to abandon the position.”
That was an interesting article. I wonder who developed those drones. I can’t see Ukraine having that capability to.
It’s a little like the white-hot shower of sparks that fly off when you’re grinding metal. They look menacing and dangerous, even incendiary, but rarely cause damage or start fires around the workbench. Now, if you stacked dried grass or something really flammable right in front it MIGHT light on fire.