Russian Soldiers Plea For Help after Thermite Attack by 'Dragonfire' Drone

Videos circulating on social media show Ukrainian drones showering Russian positions with fire, and surviving soldiers pleading for help, surrounded by blackened trees.

The terrifying unmanned craft have been labeled, 'Dracarys,' or 'Dragonfire,' in a reference to the High Valynarian language used in the fantasy show Game of Thrones. It is believed that the drones are using thermite.

Thermite is a pyrotechnic material consisting of metal powder (commonly aluminum) and a metal oxide, typically iron oxide (rust). When ignited, it undergoes an exothermic reaction, reaching temperatures up to 4,532°F. This heat is twice as hot as molten lava, according to the Science Channel.

Thermite grenades can melt through artillery or vehicle components, rendering them inoperable. The Ukrainian Military Center reports that thermite is capable of burning through the armor of vehicles.

According to a report from Forbes, thermite bombs have become a favored weapon of Ukrainian drone operators, particularly for demolishing abandoned Russian vehicles.

In a video posted on X, Russian soldiers "cry and plead for help," after thermite was used in their positions.

The soldier, whose face is obscured in the video, says "everything burnt up, we need generators." The soldier also says, "We are asking you with regards to humanitarian aid," in the video recording and adds that, "We don't have an specific list of what we need, but now we need everything, generators, inventory."

Newsweek has contacted the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine via email for comment.

In a video, shared on the app Telegram by the account 'My call sign is "Goodwin"', what looks to be a drone is shown flying down a line of trees, blasting down a jet of flames. The drone eventually drops, and the fire in the trees is shown to continue to burn and smolder.

Another video, also posted on Telegram by the account Nexta Live showed footage of Russian soldiers walking through scorched earth and showed scorched trenches. The video was captioned, "Russian occupiers showed their positions, burned by Ukrainian drones with thermite."

A TikTok video, which has been viewed over ten million times at the time of writing, shared by the account Cpscott, run by Chad Scott, an army officer who posts frequently about the Russia-Ukraine war, spoke in detail about the weapons.

"In an especially terrifying development for the Russians, it seems like the Ukrainians have figured out how to attach thermic distribution systems to some of their larger drones," Scott said. "Now they are dumping thermite onto Russian trenching positions."

Scott also said, "When thermite is dumped on this trenching system and the Russians start vacating their trenches, they become targets for other forms of artillery cluster munitions or direct engagements from potentially Ukrainian infantry on the ground." "The Ukrainians are now using it to clear Russian trenches on the battlefield."

He continued that the drones were "Destroying any pieces of equipment this thermite touches." "There's not a whole lot that the Russians can do here other than run away."

Newsweek has reached out to the Kremlin via email for comment.

Do you have a story Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.