Ukraine has unleashed a new weapon on Russian positions – molten thermite, a mix of aluminum and rust that reaches temperatures of more than 2,200°C.
Footage showed the moment a Ukrainian drone dropped the molten substance on Russian soldiers holding an area of forest in eastern Ukraine.
Thermite is a mix of aluminum and rust which reaches temperatures twice as hot as lava when set on fire.
The moment has been widely shared on social media in Ukraine, with one X account, OSINT Technical, sharing the footage and writing: ‘Eastern Ukraine, a Ukrainian drone drops molten thermite on a Russian-held treeline, setting it ablaze.’
It’s believed the footage was filmed in the eastern Donetsk region, which has seen heavy fighting as Russian forces are closing in on the city of Pokrovsk.
In farmland surrounding many of the highly contested cities in eastern Ukraine, lines of trees have become holding points for troops as they battle to keep their land.
Thermite bombs have previously been used in the conflict, and are particularly cruel as the burn rather than explode.
Thermite is an incendiary weapon, meaning it emits massive amounts of heat which can melt armoured vehicles.
Russia previously came under fire for using another incendiary weapon, white phosphorous, early in the war in the city of Kramatorsk.
The World Health Organisation describes white phosphorous as a ‘chemical waxy solid substance’ which ignites instantly when in contact with oxygen.
It’s notoriously hard to extinguish once lit, and can stick to surfaces like skin and clothing, causing severe burns, even through bone.
US President Joe Biden previously warned that Putin would ‘pay a severe price’ if Russia turned to the use of chemical weapons in the war.
Boris Johnson has said a chemical attack by the Kremlin would be ‘straight out of their playbook’ warning the world had seen Russia deploy the weapons in the past.
Earlier today, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike has killed at least 41 people and wounded more than 180 in central Ukraine.
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