Russian troops dismantle grenades to replenish drone ammo

The war in Ukraine is filled with various unusual situations, one of which is the dismantling of grenades with a hammer by Russian forces. They are currently dealing with a shortage of drone munitions, attempting to compensate using makeshift methods.

The Russians are reportedly suffering from a recent "ammunition hunger", leading, among other things, to a shortage of munitions for FPV drones. Similar to the Ukrainians, the Russians are using items such as grenades or bomblets from cluster munitions for this purpose. However, these materials seem scarce, prompting them to dismantle RGN and RGO grenades to extract explosive material.

This dismantling involves tapping a secured grenade with an ax or a hammer, causing it to split into two halves. The powdered explosive material inside is then poured into a nearby bucket.

RGO (defensive) and RGN (offensive) grenades were introduced into the Soviet armed forces in the 1980s as successors to the F-1 and RGD-5 grenades. They were intended to have a more effective fuse and, in the case of the RGN version, a reduced shrapnel range.

The core of the RGO and RGN grenades is the UDZ fuse, a percussion design that activates only after bouncing off an obstacle. The delay in such a case is about a second. The fuse also features a self-destructor that detonates the grenade approximately three seconds after arming. This is useful, for example, after landing on sand or mud.

The fuse is surrounded by about 3 ounces of powdered hexogen (explosive material) enclosed in a cast body. This varies depending on the grenade version because, in the case of the offensive RGN grenade weighing 11 ounces, the shell is smooth and thin due to the requirement for about a 33-foot lethal range.

In contrast, the defensive RGO grenade, weighing 19 ounces, has a thicker shell and is scored to increase the number of fragments. Officially, the blast radius of the RGO grenade is about 52 feet, but the Russians claimed that their range is much greater.

The grenades were not mass-produced due to large stockpiles of older designs, and in practice, they were mainly supplied to units broadly referred to as Spetsnaz. Now, it appears the Russians are using them as components for FPV drones. The explosive material is used to create larger warheads, and the UDZ fuse is modified to remove its delay and self-destructor function.