Khorne Group via Telegram<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a British anti-war advocacy group, Ukraine has previously used thermite dropped from drones to permanently disable Russian tanks. <\/p>\n
The thermite is dropped \u201cdirectly through the hatches, where the intense heat quickly ignites and destroys everything inside,\u201d an AOAV report says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis precision, combined with the drone\u2019s ability to bypass traditional defenses, makes thermite bombs a highly effective tool in modern warfare,\u201d it says. <\/p>\n
Thermite is just one type of incendiary weapon, with others including napalm and white phosphorus. <\/p>\n
The United Nations Office for Disarmament says incendiary weapons can cause massive destruction and environmental damage. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe fires produced by the weapon itself or ignited by it are difficult to predict and to contain. Therefore, incendiary weapons are often described as \u2018area weapons\u2019 due to their impact over a broad area,\u201d it says on its website. <\/p>\n
The United States used napalm to burn much of Japan\u2019s capital to the ground in World War II\u2019s infamous Tokyo fire raids. US forces also used it extensively in Vietnam. <\/p>\n
The US military has also used thermite in grenades, with the US Army\u2019s Pine Bluff Arsenal producing the weapons from the 1960s through 2014 and then resuming production again in 2023. <\/p>\n
Under international law, thermite is not banned for military combat, but its use on civilian targets is prohibited because of the horrible effects it can have on the human body. <\/p>\n
In a 2022 report on incendiary weapons, such as thermite, Human Rights Watch called them \u201cnotorious for their horrific human cost,\u201d including inflicting fourth- or fifth-degree burns. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey can cause damage to muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, and even bones,\u201d HRW said. <\/p>\n
Treatment can last months and require daily attention. If victims survive, they are left with physical and psychological scars, HRW said. <\/p>\n
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow\u2019s initial push into Ukraine was stopped far short of capturing the capital of Kyiv, and the sides have fought over much of the same territory for most of the war. <\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s forces, outnumbered and outgunned by Russia, have proven adept at innovating with small drones to hammer Moscow\u2019s troops and equipment. <\/p>\n
A Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory near Kursk in August surprised Putin and has boosted Ukrainian confidence that it can prevail in the war. <\/p>\n