THIS is the moment a Ukrainian dragon drone spews flesh melting thermite on a Russian bunker.
The 2,500C mixture pours out of the drone at the entrance of the hideout before the craft is consumed by fire.
X/@DefenceUThe Ukrainian drone spews thermite on a Russian bunker[/caption]
X/@DefenceUIt fires the 2,500C mixture on the trench and at the entrance of the hideout[/caption]
X/@DefenceUEventually the flying craft is consumed by the fire and flies inside the bunker[/caption]
Terrifying footage shows the drone begin to spew the thermite across a trench and into the entrance of a snowy Russian bunker.
Anyone caught underneath the iron oxide and aluminium combination would be burned to death.
After shooting the lethal mixture for around 20 seconds the drone catches fire itself and flies inside the bunker hoping to take Russian soldiers with it.
Posting the video to X, Ukraine’s defence ministry did not state whether the drone had killed any Russians.
It said: “A ‘dragon’ drone with thermite is burning enemy hideout.
“The use of such drones increase the effectiveness of combat operations and reduce risks for personnel.”
A fiery reaction is set off when iron oxide and aluminium is ignited, producing scorching hot molten iron that burns at 2,500 degrees – strong enough to melt through steel.
Thermite weapons have been favoured by Ukrainian drone operators in the past for burning up Russian vehicles like tanks.
Using thermite to attack a bunker could be intended to kick-start a fire to destroy the fortified position.
The dragon drones leave a heap of little spot fires that can join up to create big blazes on enemy territory.
Video has previously captured one dragon drone spewing a fiery stream of thermite across a Russian-held treeline.
Or, Ukraine could be trying to destroy the moral of the troops hiding inside the bunker by using the terrifying weapon.
Ukraine has destroyed so many Russian tanks that it also could have surplus thermite drones.
Kyiv has been deploying the menacing weapon over tree lines and forests, spewing out scorching hot molten.
X/@DefenceUAny Russians caught underneath the thermite would have been killed by the spewing mixture[/caption]
GettyA Ukrainian soldier uses a drones during a training exercise in Donetsk Oblast[/caption]
Former British Army Officer Nicholas Drummond previously suggested Kyiv were mainly deploying dragon drones to incite fear.
He told CNN: “It is very nasty stuff. Using a drone to deliver it is quite innovative.
“But used in that way its effect will have been psychological more than physical.
“I understand that Ukraine only possesses a limited capacity to deliver a thermite effect, so this is a niche capability rather than new mainstream weapon.
“(But) I would not have liked to have been on the receiving end.”
The footage comes as Ukraine has unveiled a laser weapon dubbed ‘Trident’ that blasts aerial Russian drones at the speed of light.
The laser can blast planes and drones at ranges of over two kilometres away.
Trident, or ‘Tryzub’, is the name of the golden trident on Ukraine’s coat of arms and is the symbol of the country.
It is not yet clear how Ukraine developed the weapon – but they could have had help from a similar UK design.
Former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps suggested back in April the UK’s own laser weapon DragonFire could be sent to Ukraine.
Secret plan to move Ukraine’s capital to London
By Ellie Doughty, foreign news reporter
UKRAINE drafted a secret plan to move its government to London before tyrant Vladimir Putin invaded in February 2022.
But when Russian forces launched their illegal assault Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky famously refused Western pleas to seek safe haven.
“The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride,” he told the US, according to the Ukrainian embassy in Britain.
The embassy said Ukrainians were “proud of their President” as he stood strong in the face of danger when Putin was expected to be able to take capital Kyiv in just a matter of days.
Vadym Prystaiko, former Ukrainian ambassador to London, revealed details behind the London-Ukraine contingency plan.
He said: “As far as our work in London is concerned, we actually proactively wanted to offer the [Ukrainian] government a place to continue our work at the time of possible search for a place.
“When we talked to our colleagues in Britain, no one talked about a government in exile.
“They talked about the continuation of the [Ukrainian] government [from London].”
He added: “This was not a decision of the Ukrainian government.
“It was my proposal at the time, if needed.”
x/@DefenceUThe craft burns up inside the bunker[/caption]