In a video clip shared on Telegram, Russian troops can be seen jerry-rigging a small unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to carry grenades.
In the clip, soldiers from Russia’s 61st Naval Infantry Brigade can be seen applying what looks like string and pieces of plastic to attach a grenade to the bottom of the drone. After attaching the grenade, a soldier holds the drone as the operator switches it on.
WarGonzo, the Telegram channel that shared the video, included a caption that describes how Russian soldiers refer to Ukrainian fighters as “Germans” – a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s false assertion that Ukraine is fundamentally a Nazi or Nazi-supportive society.
“The fighters of the 61st Marine Brigade of the Northern Fleet demonstrated for the @wargonzo project in an exclusive manner the procedure that the marines call – an injection for the ‘Germans,’” the post reads, per Google Translate.
The post adds that Russian soldiers refer to the Armed Forces of Ukraine “and other neo-Nazis” as “Germans.”
Additional footage from the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade showed the soldiers taking cover from a Grad MLRS fire near Adviivka. The soldiers can also be seen firing machine guns from their defensive position.
Video of members of the 61st Naval Infantry Brigade taking cover from Grad MLRS fire near Avdiivka. https://t.co/GDZUZQe4Pk pic.twitter.com/PNv5CCiRLm
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 18, 2022
Russian Troops Resorting to Makeshift Weapons
The 61st Naval Infantry Brigade isn’t alone in using makeshift weapons. Several reports have previously shown how Russian soldiers are relying on makeshift weapons to continue their military offensive against Ukraine.
As Russia struggles with heavy losses of tanks, armored vehicles, troops, and weapons, videos have shown how Russian soldiers are resorting to repairing existing equipment in any way they can.
In April, video footage shared by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense showed a captured Russian military drone that was held together with duct tape. The drone also used a plastic bottle cap as a fuel cap. It came amid reports that Russia was struggling to resupply its troops with new weapons and equipment following larger-than-expected losses in Ukraine.
This month, viral footage shared on Telegram showed a Russian UAV dropping a grenade on a Ukrainian position using a plastic cup. The footage, recorded by the UAV, showed the grenade dangling in the air from a single-use plastic cup, before being released. The mechanism seemed much the same as the UAV system jerry-rigged in the video shared by WarGonzo.
Here’s an interesting one. Drone with a grenade… in a plastic cup? pic.twitter.com/ebxie91iQP
— Gissur Simonarson ??????????? (@GissiSim) May 16, 2022
“This is how our guys throw gifts on the head of the enemy,” the Telegram posting sharing the footage reads.
Only time will tell whether Russia improves its supply lines in Ukraine and if the war can continue for much longer with soldiers resorting to jerry-rigged weapons.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
