In October 2022, during the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, documentation of the use of K-51 tear gas grenades by the Russian Army started to appear in pro-Ukraine Telegram channels and media sources, claiming Russian forces were using “chemical weapons” on the battlefield. Earlier, in September 2022, a Russian UAV unit published an image of a K-51 grenade attached to a Mavic quadcopter on their Telegram channel. The next day, video documentation started to appear.
Tear gas grenades released from armed UAVs over enemy positions to lure soldiers out of the trenches has become a trend of late, employed by both sides, though mostly by the Russian Army. In addition, the use of K-51 tear gas grenades with improvised bomblets, or installed as booby traps in areas abandoned by retreating forces, has also been documented in recent months.
Even though the K-51 grenade is not a modern device, has no lethal effect and was created mostly for dispersing crowds during riots, using it in a specific way can make it very effective on the modern battlefield.
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