Ukraine is finding new ways to use its thermite-spewing dragon drones to burn Russian forces. They are now attacking their bunkers and tanks.
The first use of these weapons, as we previously reported, became public back in early September. That’s when video emerged showing one dispersing the molten mixture into trellises that concealed Russian troops and equipment. Additional videos soon popped up on social media showing more Ukrainian units using the weapon that way. Russia is also trying to use similar systems, but to what extent remains unclear.
Primarily used in grenades and artillery shells, among other applications, thermite is a combination of oxidized iron and aluminum that burns at about 4,440 degrees Fahrenheit. The compound can be dropped or sprayed in a manner similar to a flamethrower. The combination of the searing heat of the thermite and the maneuverability and speed of a drone makes this a very lethal and versatile weapon. We are now seeing it applied elsewhere on the battlefield
At first, the drones were being deployed to burn away the areas where Russians sought cover under the dense growth. Now Ukraine has expanded its target list.
In the video below, one of those drones sprayed the incendiary compound into a Russian bunker. It quickly spread, causing the bunker to erupt in flames, likely incinerating anyone inside.
Ukraine is also using these drones to attack armor. In the following video you can see a drone’s deadly aerial dance over the tank. It made several passes, dropping thermite until the tank exploded.
Using these fire-breathing drones on other target types does make sense as thermite may not be able to destroy some targets, but can certainly damage them and take them out of the fight. Burning alive in a bunker filled with the horrific compound is also one heck of a psychological deterrent as well as being brutally effective.
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On the battlefield, Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine continues to see the bulk of the fighting, but clashes continue across much of the 600-mile front lines as well as inside Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
- Kursk Oblast: Ukrainian forces continued ground assaults in Glushkovsky Raion west of the main Ukrainian salient there on October 4 but did not make confirmed advances, according to the latest assessment from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
- Kharkiv Oblast: Russian forces recently marginally advanced in Vovchansk amid continued offensive operations north and northeast of Kharkiv City on October 4, ISW reported.
- Luhansk: Russian forces recently made a confirmed advance near Kreminna, according to ISW, amid continued offensive operations along the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line on October 4.
- Donetsk: Russian forces continued offensive operations east of Siversk near Verkhnokamyanske, southeast of Siversk near Spirne, near Chasiv Yar, Pokrovsk and southwest of Donetsk City with no confirmed gains, according to ISW. They recently advanced south of Toretsk and west of Donetsk City.
- Zaporizhzhia Oblast: Positional fighting “continued in western Zaporizhia Oblast near Robotyne, Mali Shcherbaky (northwest of Robotyne), Kamyanske (south of Stepnohirsk), and Novodanylivka (north of Robotyne) on October 3 and 4, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline,” the ISW assessment explained.
Days after losing this rubble-strewn town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, Ukrainians are coming to grips with how it happened and what it means to the defense of their nation.
One soldier from Ukraine’s 72nd Brigade that defended the city explained why it couldn’t be held despite its elevation.
“And what is a dominant height now, if the enemy’s reconnaissance drones are hovering over you around the clock?” a soldier named Viktor told the Ukrainian Slidstvo news outlet. “And they have an advantage in artillery, we had practically no artillery, it’s not like it was in the winter of 2023, when we defeated the 155th Brigade.”
At that time, “We had a lot of artillery, shoot if you want, but now we don’t, they have parity in the air due to the larger number of FPV drones,” he added. “The Russians also started remotely mining all the access roads to the front line. Yes, their infantry are bums, but they have an advantage in means and numbers. We simply had no one and nothing to fight with.’”
Now that Russia has the town, the question remains how much will it hurt Ukraine’s defense. In addition to sitting on high ground, Vuhledar is also located on a highway and near the juncture of two fronts – Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia. Behind it lay open fields with little cover for Ukrainian troops to hide, making it easier for Russians to maneuver. In addition, it is located about 30 miles south of the embattled city of Pokrovsk, which as we have previously reported is a key logistical hub for Ukraine.
The Russians however have been making few major territorial gains in the region. Adding to their challenges is that the mud season is not far away, which will make further gains even tougher to achieve.
Ukrainian drones struck the Borisoglebsk Air Base in Russia’s Voronezh region, about 180 miles northeast of the border on Thursday. Satellite imagery obtained by The War Zone indicates the attack caused no significant damage.
It is primarily a training base, specialized in preparing aircrews to operate tactical strike aircraft and ground-attack aircraft. It’s home to a pilot school that operates Su-25 Frogfoot attack aircraft and Yak-130 Mitten jet trainers. The airfield has also hosted detachments of Su-34s and Su-35S Flanker multirole fighters involved in operations against Ukraine.
The image below shows that the aircraft on the apron appear to be unscathed while there are three large burn marks, one in between the flight line and apron, one just to the southeast of it bracketing the apron, and another just to the southeast of the flight line.
The image below shows seven undamaged Russian fighters on the apron and no indication that any were affected by the attack. However, you can see a large scorch mark showing burned grass north of the apron.
Another section of the airbase also appears to have been burned, but there was no new damage to any infrastructure or materiel.
Images and video that emerged as the attack was taking place showed it created explosions and flames, sparking speculation that Russian aircraft could have been damaged.
Ukrainian drones also struck an oil depot in the town of Anna in the Voronezh region, about 70 miles west of the airfield. The attack caused minor damage, Voronezh Gov. Aleksandr Gusev claimed on Telegram.
“Last night, several UAVs were destroyed and suppressed by air defense and electronic warfare forces in the Voronezh Region,” Guzev stated. “According to preliminary data, there are no casualties.”
“A small fire at an empty tank at an oil depot was extinguished immediately after the firefighters arrived. No damage was caused to the oil depot. Emergency services continue to patrol the area to determine the consequences. At the moment, no damage has been recorded anywhere,” he added.
A prominent Russian milblogger claims that a half-dozen North Korean officers were killed in an Oct. 3 Ukrainian attack on a training ground near the occupied city of Donetsk.
Those officers “came to the front as part of an exchange of experience,” the Kremlin Snuffbox Telegram channel claimed.
“They showed friendly military how our fighters prepare for assault actions, for defense, how we resist American weapons,” Kremlin Snuffbox explained, citing sources in the Russian Defense Ministry. “Unfortunately, there was a missile strike on the training ground. In total, more than 20 people died, six of them are our friends – officers from North Korea.”
Another three North Korean officers were wounded and sent to Moscow for treatment, the Telegram channel noted.
As we wrote about in June, a mutual aid pact between Pyongyang and Moscow called for North Korea to send construction and engineering forces to Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine for rebuilding work.
Kremlin Snuff Box said it asked if the presence of those North Koreans in Donetsk meant that its troops were taking part in the war.
“The sources did not give a clear answer to this question,” the Telegram channel stated.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered a tease about a homegrown ballistic missile during an international defense industry forum held in Kyiv earlier this week.
“Our new ballistic missile has successfully passed flight tests,” he said.
Zelensky offered no further details about what it is called, its range, payload, or guidance system. You can read more about this developing program here.
He also touted other portions of the indigenous defense industry, saying Ukraine can now produce four million drones per year.
“The successful use of Neptune missiles continues,” he added, “and up to 20 Bohdan artillery systems are being produced each month.”
Meanwhile, the makers of the Switchblade 600 loitering munition will begin building components in Ukraine and ultimately the drones themselves.
AeroVironment signed a contract with a Ukrainian company for the production of components, according to the Ukrainian Militarnyi news outlet.
Brett Hush, Senior Vice President and General Manager of AeroVironment’s Barrage Strike Systems Division, told Militarnyi that cooperation with the Ukrainian company will be phased.
“It will start with basically sending subsystem components… So, it will start with a very simple integration. And then over time, we will localize more and more systems and improve the system so that it becomes better than it is today,” he said.
The Ukrainian Sunflower Telegram channel posted a video Friday of a rarely-seen field launch of a Soviet-era jet-powered Tu-143 drone. Initially used for surveillance and targeting, Ukraine turned them into a strike weapon. In Lebanon, Hezbollah has some converted to strike weapons as well, which you can read more about here.
The drone in the video is part of the VR-3 complex “designed for conducting tactical reconnaissance in the front-line zone and training air defense units,” Sunflower explained.
It has a flight range of 180 km (about 112 miles) and can travel at a speed of up to 950 km per hour (about 590 mph), Sunflower claimed.
Russia has once again painted one of its drones in Ukranian livery to avoid being destroyed. Such was the case with this Zala reconnaissance drone, gussied up in a Ukrainian military paint scheme. Bottom line up front. It didn’t work and the Zala was swatted-down.
A Russian BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) vehicle proved to be a nice target for a Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drone chasing it down. You can watch the drone get closer, then impact, with another drone capturing the massive explosion, fire, and plume of black smoke rising skyward
The chief of physical security at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant was assassinated in a car bomb explosion, according to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR).
“On October 4, 2024, at around 7 a.m. in the temporarily occupied Energodar, a car carrying a war criminal…Korotkyy Andriiyuvych exploded,” the spy agency said on Telegram.
“Korotkyy is a collaborator involved in the organization and execution of war crimes and repression of Ukrainians under occupation,” GUR claimed. “After the capture of the ZNPP, he voluntarily cooperated with the Russian invaders, gave the Russians lists of station employees with their personal data, pointing to citizens with a pro-Ukrainian position.”
Andriiyuvych also “participated in the repression of nuclear power plant personnel, war crimes against civilians of the temporarily occupied Energodar,” stated GUR.
In addition, he “constantly organized events aimed at supporting the Russian army of occupation. As a member of Putin’s United Russia party, he headed the so-called ‘Council of Deputies’in Energodar.”
“Every war criminal awaits a just retribution,” GUR threatened.
In a twist few could have foreseen, Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko says his Russian client state will come to the aid of Ukraine should Poland decide to attack it.
“As soon as the Poles invade Ukraine and try to snatch the west [of the country], we will be backing the Ukrainians,” he said during a visit to the Brest region on Friday. “Because we understand that we are the next,” Lukashenko said, according to the Interfax news agency, citing Belarusian official media.
Warsaw wants to “grab” the western part of Ukraine, he said.
“[Poland wants] both western Belarus and western Ukraine. And to dominate there. This is unacceptable for us,” Lukashenko added.
Russian troops fighting on their own soil in the Kursk region recently managed to capture a U.S.-donated Stryker Armored Personnel Carrier. They didn’t get very far though. The following image shows the eight-wheeled vehicle flipped over like a toy.
The U.S. has provided Ukraine with 189 Strykers. It has lost at least 23 of them, according to the Oyrx open-source tracking group. Of those 16 have been destroyed, two damaged, two damaged and abandoned and three captured. Those figures could be higher because Oryx only tabulates losses for which it has visual confirmation. This Stryker has yet to be added to the list.
While Ukraine is getting military hardware from the U.S. and its allies, Russia is beginning to rely on Chinese equipment, like the ZFB-05 armored fighting vehicle you can see in the following image.
That’s it for now.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com