Ukrainian ‘Dragon Drones’ rain molten metal in viral video: Know more about terrifying new weapon in war against Russia

The Ukraine-Russia war took a terrifying new turn this week with videos of fire-spewing ‘dragon drones’ going viral. Visuals that have been shared widely across social media platforms showed the low-flying fleet dropping actual molten metal onto Russian positions in the occupied Kharkiv region.

The white-hot mixture — called thermite — can easily burn through most materials including metal and falls under the list of incendiary weapons alongside napalm and white phosphorus. It has been been used in combat since World War I and usage is limited to military combat under international law.

According to details shared by a British anti-war advocacy group called Action on Armed Violence, Ukraine has previously used thermite dropped from drones to permanently disable Russian tanks.

What exactly is thermite?
The chemical mixture comprises of aluminum powder and iron oxide. It ignites at extremely high temperatures (up to 2,200 degrees Celsius) and can ‘melt’ most things in its way. Thermite was discovered in the 1890s and originally used to weld railroad tracks.

Ukraine has used it to disable abandoned Russian vehicles amidst the war or target positions in tree lines. Thermite can quickly burn the vegetation providing cover and in many cases kill or disable the troops outright.

Visuals shared by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry on Wednesday showed drones showed drones raining ‘torrents of fire’ upon the Russian troops. The nickname comes from the way thermite resembles fire spewing from the mouth of a dragon as it falls from the drones. 

The developments came even as Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba — one of Ukraine's most recognizable faces on the international stage — resigned Wednesday ahead of an expected reshuffling of government leaders. President Volodymyr Zelensky had indicated last week that a reshuffle was imminent with the war poised to enter a critical stage and mark its 1,000th day in November.

Meanwhile Kyiv said on Saturday that it had struck an an ammunition depot in a Russian region bordering Ukraine where a large fire broke out overnight after a drone attack.

(With inputs from agencies)