Russian Forces Deploy Homemade Chemical Munitions on Drones

Russian UAV operators have begun using homemade chemical munitions, known as "drops," on commercial drones such as the DJI Mavic 3 and Autel.

This is according Militarnyi citing a leaked manual from Ukraine’s 27th Motorized Rifle Division’s radiation, chemical, and bacteriological defense unit.

These munitions contain hazardous substances, including chloroacetophenone (CN) and chlorobenzalmononitrile (CS), which are banned under the Geneva Protocol.

The modified munitions consist of a grenade fuse, plastid explosives, ampoules of toxic chemicals, a stabilizer, and adhesive tape. The total weight of each munition is about 300 grams, with an effective range of 15 meters. The munition’s weight is comparable to the weight of a hand grenade RGD-5 (310 grams) or VOG-17 (350 grams), which are also used as ammunition for dropping from drones. These weapons are intended to incapacitate enemy forces using chemical agents.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces Support Command recorded 767 instances of such chemical munitions being used in March 2025 alone. Lieutenant Colonel Maxim Kravchuk stated that Russian troops deploy these munitions in areas of heavy combat, making it difficult to collect evidence for further investigation. Since February 2023, Ukraine has documented 7,730 cases of chemical weapon use by Russian forces.