When video game tactics backfire: The peril of mishandling RPG‑7s in Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has seen some of the most bizarre occurrences that, not long ago, would have been exclusive to video games or action movies. Among these is the story of a Russian attempting to destroy a damaged Ukrainian drone by smashing it with an unloaded RPG-7 grenade launcher. We delve into the details of this attempt and discuss what went awry.

Spotting a damaged Ukrainian drone, a Russian soldier sought to eliminate it. To do so, he resorted to using a hefty RPG-7 anti-tank launcher, which weighs over 6.8 kg, readily available to him, and attempted to throw it at the drone. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a colossal blunder as the launcher exploded, resulting in injuries to the Russian.

RPG-7 launchers, as ubiquitous globally as AK series rifles, are utilized not just by the militaries of various nations but also by an array of rebel and terrorist factions.

This weapon offers a straightforward method for efficiently neutralizing most notably older armored targets at a distance of roughly 200 meters (theoretically over 400 meters) when equipped with the right grenades. Among the most common are PG-7VL grenades that can penetrate up to 50 cm of armor steel. These, nonetheless, prove ineffective against reactive or rod armors, whereas the improved PG-7VR grenades can breach these defenses, in addition to fragmentation OG-7V and thermobaric variants.

Yet, all these grenades share a critical safety vulnerability due to a very basic impact fuse. Normally shielded by a plastic cap, many operators unscrew it for rapid deployment. Then, as in the incident under review, a minor impact of the striker against a surface like the ground or a wall is enough to trigger detonation.

There's no delay in detonation as seen in more contemporary weapons such as the RGW90, used by Jarosław Szymczyk at the headquarters of the National Police Command in Warsaw, where the warhead activates only after traveling 20 meters. Therefore, any mishandling of the RPG-7 poses a severe risk to the user. In this case, the Russian either forgot or was unaware of this crucial detail.