Confusion As Russian Drones Target Kyiv With Mystery Cluster Bombs
By: bitcoin ethereum news|2025/05/02 21:30:01
0
Share
Transaction of a warning put out by Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs about bomblets dropped ... More from Shaheds. Ukrainian authorities are warning of a new type of cluster bomb dropped on cities by Russian Shahed drones. Over the winter, the main target for the drones was electricity infrastructure, in a failed attempt to freeze Ukraine into submission. Now the goal seems to be simply to spread fear and destruction. Russia launched almost 2,500 Shaheds in April. More than 80% were downed, but many still got through. We have already seen numerous drones hitting apartment blocks and other non-military sites causing heavy civilian casualties. Precision satellite guidance means these were likely the intended targets. Adding cluster munitions looks like a deliberate attempt to push up the casualty count. Spreading More Destruction Following a drone attack on Thursday morning Kyiv City State Administration issued an alert: “ Unknown objects that may lie on the ground after enemy attacks may turn out to be explosive. If you see an unknown object, do not touch or approach. Just notify the rescuers or the police. “ President Zelensky with a downed Shahed drone The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued a similar warning: “ In the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, bomb disposal teams from the State Emergency Service are working. Access to the area, which is potentially dangerous for citizens, is limited by police officers...The main thing: do not touch unknown objects .... stay calm. Professional sappers are working. ” Oleksandr Popovtsev, head of local government in Shevchenkivska District, gave additional detail: “ Today in Darnytskyi district, in the Bortnychi neighborhood, explosions of delayed cluster munitions were recorded, which could have been scattered during a night UAV [Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle, or drone] attack. I urge all residents to be as careful as possible! If possible, stay in safe places, preferably in shelters or basements .” These follow previous unverified reports earlier this month of Shaheds dropping cluster munitions resembling fragmentation grenades in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy regions, and other reports, shared by United24 Media, that the drones were scattering ani-personnel mines along their path. Cluster munitions, which produce a less focused effect over a wider area than a single warhead, are classic antipersonnel weapons. And mines or delayed-action bombs are often used to cause disruption and chaos. But there is considerable confusion over what is actually happening. We have not yet seen images of a downed Shahed with a cluster warhead and while Russia has definitely used ballistic missiles with cluster warheads, and small quadcopters dropping antipersonnel mines in Kherson there is no information about the new munitions dropped by Shaheds. The Lethal Evolution Of The Shahed The Shahed, designed in Iran but now built in Russia, has delivered several different f warheads over the past three years. The basic version carried a straightforward high explosive charge weighing roughly 100 pounds. This was superseded by an upgraded warhead with a shaped charge able to punch holes in metal to inflict greater damage to targets like electrical substations. Further refinements have seen the addition of incendiary elements to increase the chance of starting a fire. More recently we have seen Shaheds with thermobaric warheads, a type which is more effective than normal high explosive at demolishing buildings. Shahed fragmentation warhead These indicate how the designers have modified the warhead to cause more damage to infrastructure. One Shahed was even found with a dummy wooden warhead; the suspicion is that this was on a reconnaissance mission to fly around and uncover the location of air defences, and the lighter ‘warhead’ increased its flight time. But there have also been uglier developments. Recent images show Shahed warheads packed with small ball bearings and other shrapnel. These fragmentation warheads cause casualties over a much wider radius than explosive alone. And now we have cluster munitions. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the typical ‘explosive object’ from a Shaheds is a pipe with square notches on the body. Those seen so confirmed are roughly 12-14 inches long with a diameter of 2 inches, but the Ministry warns there may be several other types. Bomblets recovered by Ukrainian sappers Part of the problem is that people may think any unidentified metal debris is a cluster munition. In one case expended rounds from anti-aircraft units were incorrectly described as cluster bombs. (Even wilder reports claim that Shaheds are coated in poison which seems extremely unlikely but should at least stop people from getting too close). According to another unconfirmed report the munitions have a time delay of up to an hour, and an anti-tamper fuse which is “sensitive to vibration and light.” The lethal radius is said to be 25 feet. Memories Of The Blitz Russia appears to be working from the playbook used by the Nazis during the 1940 aerial ‘Blitz’ on England. This started with conventional bombs, which were later mixed with some fitted with delayed-action fuses when it was found that unexploded bombs caused more disruption. These were later fitted with anti-tamper devices to target the EOD teams tackling them. Finally, some bombs were dropped with no timer, just the anti-tamper fuse, so they would remain in place until someone tried to defuse them or they were otherwise interfered with. WWII leaflet warning civilians of German Butterfly bombs The basic German 500-pound aerial bomb, effective against buildings and other structures, was supplemented by cluster bombs, like the AB-250 scattering 108 four-pound antipersonnel bomblets. The Germans called these bomblets ‘Devils Eggs’, the British called them ‘Butterfly bombs’ from the way the two halves of the casing opened when dropped. The Butterfly bomb was lethal to anyone within 30 feet and could cause serious injury at 300 feet. The defenders found that unexploded cluster bombs greatly complicated the challenge of clearing up after an attack, as there were so many to deal with and they were much harder to spot. Likely the bomblets spread by Shaheds are a mix of detonation on impact and delayed-action types, and possibly with some which act purely as mines. Finding out exactly what they look like and what sort of fusing is involved, is likely to be a high priority. This information will greatly help in efforts to clear them and keep people safe. What is clear though is that the new weapons are not aimed at military or infrastructure targets. They have been designed specifically to kill, injure and terrify as many people as possible. While Ukrainian long range drone strikes target Russian weapons factories, oil storage sites and military airbases, Russia is focusing its efforts on waging a campaign of terror against civilians. Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2025/05/02/confusion-as-russian-drones-target-kyiv-with-mystery-cluster-bombs/
You may also like

Why Is BlackRock Investing $5 Billion in the SpaceX IPO?
What is driving the massive demand for the SpaceX IPO, and why did BlackRock place a $5 billion order? Learn how the historic listing could impact SpaceX stock, Bitcoin, SPCX, and crypto markets.

Cryptocurrency market makers collectively seek change as it becomes increasingly difficult to make money
There is more and more to do.

a16z Crypto Partner: Cash flow is the moat
Most companies spend years creating network effects on traditional infrastructure. Crypto founders inherit them as starting conditions.

Citibank releases "2030 Asset Tokenization Market Outlook": 6 major trends may create a $8.2 trillion market
The tokenization of financial assets is moving from pilot projects to large-scale implementation, but this is a gradual evolution rather than a fierce revolution.

The trillion-dollar valuation test: Are the three major super IPOs a celebration for tech stocks or a nightmare for the crypto market?
Tech giants like SpaceX and OpenAI have sparked a $35 trillion super IPO wave. The "suction effect" is not enough to crash the stock and crypto markets, but the test of high valuations is just beginning.

Morning Report | Digital Asset completes $355 million financing led by a16z Crypto; Meta completes operational separation from Manus
Overview of Important Market Events on June 11

Morning News | CME Group launches Nasdaq Cryptocurrency Index futures; Asset management giant Janus Henderson strategically invests in Ethena
Overview of Important Market Events on June 10

Bitcoin Layer 2 Network Botanix: Why Did We Choose to Dissolve?
The Bitcoin L2 star project Botanix announced a gradual shutdown, with the team admitting to facing severe challenges from the failure of its business model and the prevailing trends. Users are urged to withdraw all assets before July 9, 2026.

Why did Oracle deliver the strongest financial report in history, yet its stock price fell?
Oracle's revenue for fiscal year 2026 set a record, with AI cloud orders soaring to $638 billion, but massive capital expenditures on computing power led to negative free cash flow, causing a 5% drop in after-hours stock prices.

When the P2P illicit funds from ten years ago turned into 60,000 bitcoins
The largest Bitcoin money laundering case in the UK has new developments: 16,000 Chinese victims are pursuing 61,000 seized Bitcoins across borders, and the dispute over the applicability of UK and Chinese laws will directly determine whether the victims can share in the soaring profits.

Dialogue with OmenX Founder: Why does the prediction market need an evolution from "spot" to "derivatives"?
How to reconstruct the prediction market using leverage?

Galaxy in-depth report: Is Solana still worth paying attention to?
Solana did not fall behind during the bear market. Trading enthusiasm has waned, but the network is more stable, RWA and stablecoins are expanding, and the capital foundation is much thicker than in the previous cycle. The real question is: when the speculative tide recedes, can perpetuals, predicti...

Young people in South Korea make a "final effort" in the epic bull market
The South Koreans' average of two accounts for wildly gambling in the chip bull market reflects the survival anxiety and harsh reality of countless young people trying to break through class barriers behind the nationwide stock trading frenzy for wealth.

The pricing controversy of Trade.xyz exposes the fatal weakness of Pre-IPO perpetual contracts
SpaceX's equity update has sparked controversy over on-chain liquidations. Trade.xyz refuses to reset the SPCX pricing, and the lack of a Rebase mechanism in Perp DEX has led to a significant trust test for on-chain Pre-IPO assets.

How much longer can Ethereum's last big buyer hold on?
According to Bitmine's current buying pace, the 5% target is expected to be reached next month, and at that time, there may be no further increases in holdings. So, who will fill the buying gap for Ethereum?

World Cup 2026 Coming – WEEX Celebrates with $1M Prize Pool & Michael Owen Live
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is hours away. WEEX unveils the “World Cup x Dice Rush” campaign with a 1,000,000 USDT prize pool. Plus, Michael Owen reunites with WEEX COO for an exclusive pre-match livestream. Join now!

Morning Report | OpenAI has submitted an S-1 registration statement draft to the U.S. SEC; Morpho completes $175 million financing
Overview of Important Market Events on June 9th

Galaxy Deep Research Report: How Hyperliquid's HIP-4 Upgrade Changes the Landscape of Prediction Markets?
The platform that wins this competition will be the one whose execution layer is the hardest to replicate, whose builder ecosystem delivers the fastest, and whose regulatory path is the most open.
Why Is BlackRock Investing $5 Billion in the SpaceX IPO?
What is driving the massive demand for the SpaceX IPO, and why did BlackRock place a $5 billion order? Learn how the historic listing could impact SpaceX stock, Bitcoin, SPCX, and crypto markets.
Cryptocurrency market makers collectively seek change as it becomes increasingly difficult to make money
There is more and more to do.
a16z Crypto Partner: Cash flow is the moat
Most companies spend years creating network effects on traditional infrastructure. Crypto founders inherit them as starting conditions.
Citibank releases "2030 Asset Tokenization Market Outlook": 6 major trends may create a $8.2 trillion market
The tokenization of financial assets is moving from pilot projects to large-scale implementation, but this is a gradual evolution rather than a fierce revolution.
The trillion-dollar valuation test: Are the three major super IPOs a celebration for tech stocks or a nightmare for the crypto market?
Tech giants like SpaceX and OpenAI have sparked a $35 trillion super IPO wave. The "suction effect" is not enough to crash the stock and crypto markets, but the test of high valuations is just beginning.
Morning Report | Digital Asset completes $355 million financing led by a16z Crypto; Meta completes operational separation from Manus
Overview of Important Market Events on June 11
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com
