A Russian soldier tossed a 10kg munition inside a building during an assault, a video from the battlefield shows
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows a daredevil Russian soldier using a 10kg anti-tank mine as a hand grenade to blow up a Ukrainian frontline position.
The short clip published on Tuesday was filmed from a drone in an unidentified bombed-out settlement. It shows the Russian trooper running among debris towards a two-story building with a collapsed roof, in which Ukrainians are understood to have established a firing position.
He approached a window and then tossed a heavy cylindrical object inside, before darting away. A powerful explosion occurred inside the building moments later, causing its collapse.
The weapon used in this unconventional manner is understood to have been a standard Soviet TM-62M anti-tank blast mine. The munition is basically an 8kg charge of high explosives packed into a metal hull and armed with a fuse.
It appears that the fuse was modified in the device used in the video footage, as it normally has an arming delay of at least 30 seconds before the mine is triggered by significant pressure or the presence of a large metal object nearby.
There have been previous reports of frontline troops using anti-tank mines as the payload on ground kamikaze drones, which are intended to sneak their devastating cargo under enemy vehicles.