According to Russian national media, Russian soldiers received a drone headset that exploded when they switched on. The headset was provided via humanitarian aid. The incident highlights the risks of military supply chains and crowdfunding gear.
Russian soldiers received a batch of thwarted drone headsets that were modified to explode when they were switched on, according to Russian media.
Igor Potapov, a spokesman for Russian manufacturer JSC NPP, said that individuals have donated goggles to the state-controlled news agency TASS.
“When the glasses were turned on, they exploded and exploded,” Potapov said.
Tass did not specify whether there were any injuries or deaths.
According to Potapov, the goggles were Skyzone Cobra X V4 headsets, which were used to provide vision when controlling first-person view drones. He added, “They found plastic explosives in all their products.”
Business Insider was unable to independently validate the report.
Skyzone supplies companies from multiple countries, including Russia and Ukraine, but does not list JSC NPPs in Distributors.
Neither company responded immediately to business insider requests for comment.
Ukraine’s defense information does not claim responsibility for reported obstruction.
Consumer-grade FPV drones are used by thousands of people in both Ukraine and Russia for everything from surveillance and reconnaissance to targeting and carrying explosives.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channel Razved Dozor shares images claiming it is from the headset still in the box, and videos of them being dismantled.
The goggles contain 10-15 grams of plastic explosives and the box stated that it shows signs of tampering.
The channel added that this is one of several plot examples for using unconscious volunteers to interfere with Russian soldiers. BI could not confirm the claim.
Matthew Ford, an international relations war expert and lecturer at the University of Sussex in the UK, used an explosive pager last September to compare the Russian report to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah, Lebanon.
The incident required planning and intrusion into Hezbollah’s supply chain.
In this example, the headset is reportedly delivered via individual donors and likely bypasses official channels.
During the war, Russian and Ukrainian units have turned to crowdfunding to get basic equipment that Ford calls “participatory war.” The idea is that anyone can take part in the efforts of war.
At the time of publication, the Cobra X V4 was available for purchase on Amazon for $324.
Threatening this orthodox supply chain adds new headaches to the military, and they need to add a new level of scrutiny, Ford said.
“I think that’s the target,” he said.
According to Tass, the JSC NPP, authorized by the UK and the EU, develops and supplies electronic tanks to the Russian military in Ukraine.
Potapov warned individuals to be vigilant when dealing with new donors to the Russian army.
