Video: Ukrainian “Dragon” drone appears to destroy Russian tank

• New footage shows a Ukrainian ‘dragon’ drone appearing to destroy a Russian tank with ‘fused thermite’.
• The images were shared on X by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
• Military experts said such drones are designed to spread terror among Russian troops.

New footage appears to show a Ukrainian “dragon” drone destroying a Russian tank.

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry shared the video on X on Friday, claiming in the caption that the drone fired “molten thermite” at the Russian tank.

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

Business Insider could not independently verify the footage.

Ukrainian forces reportedly began using thermite drones in September, when several videos appeared online that appeared to show drones dispersing 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 used militarily for as long as air warfare has existed.

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

“The ubiquitous use of drones in the skies above the battlefield is terrifying enough, but those below must now face 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 taken out 8,916 Russian tanks since the start of the war in February 2022.

The increase in equipment losses will further strain Moscow’s defense spending, which has led to skyrocketing inflation in Russia.

Russia’s central bank raised its key interest rate to 19 percent in September, citing stubborn inflationary pressures.