Reports of Ukraine using fire-spewing drones come from video footage, according to media company CNN. Low-flying drones release a type of molten rain consisting of a mixture of iron oxide and aluminum powder. The fire rain reaches a temperature of around 2,200 degrees Celsius and burns down vegetation with devastating efficiency.
The soldiers who are hit suffer severe burns.
"Strike drones are our wings of revenge, they bring fire from the sky" writes Ukraine's 60th war unit on social media.
"They have become a real threat to the enemy, burning down the enemy's strongholds with an efficiency that few other weapons can."
Peaceful Invention
In military terms, similar weapons are called thermite bombs. The mixture of metal oxides and aluminum as a weapon was invented by German chemist Hans Goldschmidt in the late 19th century – primarily for civilian use in welding.
But the method soon found military use, as a refined method of the medieval way of setting fire to arrows or projectiles during sieges or letting molten metals flow out of fortifications.
The weapon with the burning rain is not prohibited under international laws of war as long as the targets are military, but in a 2022 report, human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that the weapons are "notorious for the horrific consequences" they have on human suffering.
Psychological Shock Effect
British defense expert Nicholas Drummond tells CNN that the psychological damage is also significant:
It's horrific stuff. It's innovative to use drones, but the effect is more psychological than physical. I wouldn't want to be on the side that's being attacked, says Drummond.
The military expert estimates that Ukraine's access to thermite weapons is limited and cannot replace more traditional warfare.
The UN Office for Disarmament warns, however, of the consequences of mass destruction and environmental impact.
"The impact of fire... is difficult to predict and limit" writes the UN Office on its website. Military analysts also compare the damage from the bombs to napalm bombs, which were used, among other things, in the Vietnam War.
However, with the fire-spewing drones, the battles at the front in Ukraine may change shape, with "mass flight of Russian soldiers" from their positions, according to Drummond.
And the weapon's designation within the Ukrainian military is Vidar: the ancient Norse god who fought against the Fenris wolf after the wolf killed the god Odin.
