Russia has sent 'heavy flamethrower' rocket systems to its airborne forces, reports suggest
Russia has sent 'heavy flamethrower' thermobaric multiple launch rocket systems to its airborne forces (VDV), according to media in Moscow.
The TOS-1A, which the UK Ministry of Defence describes as "highly destructive", has been used by Russia’s specialist Chemical, Biological and Radiological Protection troops in Ukraine.
It has not previously been associated with the VDV, the MOD said.
According to the latest British intelligence, the move indicates a future role for the VDV in offensive operations in Ukraine.
The VDV, which includes troops for light and airborne infantry, suffered heavy casualties in the first nine months of the war, the MOD added.
Ukraine also using rocket systems
Meanwhile, footage has been released of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) in action in Ukraine.
Ukraine's top ground forces commander Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi published the video, which he said shows the American-supplied HIMARS firing at Russian positions in eastern Ukraine.
Developed in the 1990s for the US Army, the HIMARS is a light multiple rocket launcher system and is one of the most significant weapons sent by the West to Ukraine since the start of the war.
This week, Ukraine's Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov invited foreign F-16 pilots to join the Ukrainian military in the fight against Russia.
During a briefing with his Danish counterpart, Mr Reznikov also reportedly invited foreign specialists with relevant permits and skills to Ukraine to help maintain tanks and self-propelled guns.
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