How deadly is Ukraine's new 'dragon drone'?

In early September, Ukraine's Defense Ministry and bloggers began posting images of a drone flying over a forest, where Russian troops were entrenched in hidden positions.

The pictures show the drone releasing what looks like a rain of fire. It is, in fact, a thermite mixture of aluminium powder and iron oxide ignited by an electrical fuse. The mixture can reach a temperature of 2,200 degrees Celsius (3,992 Fahrenheit), and it will set fire to almost any material, even steel.

Highly efficient and precise

When the images were published, Ukrainian army representatives confirmed these "dragon drones" had been used in combat for the first time, and had been able to destroy enemy positions with greater precision than other weapons.

Russian media have acknowledged that the drones are indeed a threat. "Unfortunately, they are really very effective," said a former fighter from the so-called People's Republic of Luhansk, in eastern Ukraine, presented as a "military expert" in the Moskovskij Komsomolets newspaper. "These burning mixtures literally set positions and forests on fire, exposing our soldiers." Videos on social media have also confirmed the devastating effects of these "fire-breathing" drones.

It's not yet clear where exactly Ukrainian troops have already deployed these drones, but the Defense Ministry has posted pictures from the region around Kharkiv. Emil Kastehelmi from the Black Bird Group, a Finnish open-source intelligence organization that has been analyzing Russia's war in Ukraine, said his group was able to use geographical metadata to confirm that the drones have also been used in front-line regions near Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk. According to Kastehelmi, at least one deployment has also been registered in the Kursk border region, where a Ukrainian army operation has been underway since early August.

Thermite bombs used in both world wars

Thermite incendiary weapons are not new, with the German army first dropping thermite bombs on Britain during World War I. The deadly weapon was based on a discovery by German chemist Hans Goldschmidt, who had originally developed his patent for a peaceful purpose: welding railroad tracks. Incendiary bombs were also used in World War II, both by Nazi Germany and by the Allied forces in the coalition against Hitler.

As well as thermite, incendiary weapons can also be filled with phosphorus or napalm. The latter was used by the US army against Japan in World War II, and later also in the war in Vietnam.

There have been numerous reports that banned substances, including chemical weapons, have already been used in Russia's war against Ukraine. The Russian army has repeatedly been accused of using white phosphorus munitions, including in its attacks on the cities of Mariupol, Avdiivka and Vuhledar.

Incendiary weapons cause 'severe burns and respiratory injuries'

International law does not forbid the use of thermite mixtures in war. But their deployment against civilian targets is prohibited, because of the devastating effect they have on the human body.

"The problem with thermite is that it's rather indiscriminate," Marina Miron, a military expert from King's College London, told DW. "Therefore, while it's not banned per se, Protocol III of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons actually limits its use to strictly military targets, given the fact that this munition can produce severe burns and respiratory injuries."

In 1972, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution opposing the use of these incendiary weapons. Half a century later, in its 2022 report, the international rights organization Human Rights Watch deplored the high death rate from injuries caused by these weapons, and noted that such burns can require months of treatment.

Uncontrollable fires cause severe environmental damage

Dimko Zhluktenko runs the Dzyga's Paw charity foundation that supplies the Ukrainian military with high-tech equipment, including drones. Speaking with DW, he said Ukraine only deploys "dragon drones" against military targets that are far away from any settlements.

Zhluktenko explained that Russian forces had entrenched themselves in huge numbers in Ukrainian forests, which offer them natural protection. This natural cover, he said, must be stripped away.

"Now it's very dry in [the] Ukrainian forest. So also given that Russians throw a lot of trash around their positions, and also are not very strict with their munitions, it burns very well, and it just forces them to retreat," he said. He added that the Russian troops have no way of putting out the fires ignited by the Ukrainian "dragon drones."

 The 2022 report by Human Rights Watch made explicit reference to the severe environmental consequences of deploying these weapons, since thermite mixtures burn literally everything in their path. The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs has also warned that they can cause uncontrollable fires.

Zhluktenko admitted that while these weapons cause environmental damage, he believes the liberation of Ukraine from Russian occupation takes priority.

"This is the main danger that Ukraine faces — to lose this sovereignty," he said, adding that Ukraine will continue to experiment with various technologies to defeat the Russian army.

Will Russia respond in kind?

The initial footage of the "dragon drones" in action took many experts by surprise, and most observers are still cautious about predicting the effect their deployment may have on the course of the war. They don't believe the "dragon drones" can replace conventional drones or planes for attacks on infantry and equipment, but they could help to save valuable munitions.

Kastehelmi from the Black Bird Group said the new weapons also had a powerful psychological effect on the enemy. "Imagine: out of nowhere, fire starts raining down from the sky, and there's nothing you can do to stop it," he said.

News reports suggest, however, that Russia has already completed work on its own version.

This article was originally written in Russian.