Video shows Ukrainian ‘dragon’ drone appearing to destroy Russian tank with ‘molten thermite’

• New footage shows a Ukrainian ‘dragon drone’ appearing to destroy a Russian tank with ‘molten thermite’.

• The images were shared on X by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

• Military experts have said such drones are designed to spread terror among Russian forces.

New footage appears to show a Ukrainian ‘dragon’ drone destroying a Russian tank.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense shared the video on X on Friday, claiming in the caption that the drone had fired “molten thermite” at the Russian tank.

Forbes reported that the attack took place near Minkivka, in eastern Ukraine.

Business Insider was unable to independently verify the footage.

Ukrainian forces apparently began using thermite drones in September, when multiple videos emerged online showing drones spreading the incendiary material, which can melt metal.

Thermite is a mixture of aluminum powder and a metal oxide that, when ignited, can burn at temperatures of about 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

James Patton Rogers, a drone expert and executive director of the Cornell Brooks Tech Policy Institute, previously told Business Insider that thermite has been in military use for as long as aerial warfare has existed.

But using drones to deploy it was “a new and terrifying addition to modern warfare,” he said, adding that they could be used to force withdrawals “through fear and fire.”

“The ubiquitous use of drones in the skies above the battlefield is terrifying enough, but those below now have to deal with the quite literal threat of molten metal and fire raining down from above,” said Patton Rogers.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its forces had disabled 8,916 Russian tanks since the war began in February 2022.

Losses of assembly equipment will put further pressure on Moscow’s rising defense spending, which has led to rampant inflation in Russia.

The Russian central bank raised its key interest rate to 19% in September, citing persistently high inflation pressures.

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