What Is Molotov Cocktails Being Used By Ukranians Against Russian Forces?

OB Bureau

February 28, 2022 3:49 pm

New Delhi: Ukrainians in the city of Kyiv have found an ingenious way to fight the Russians – with Molotov cocktails. Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar also called on Ukrainians to take up homemade weapons i.e. Molotovs and join the fight.

Pravda, a Ukranian brewery has switched from beer to Molotov cocktails, converting its bottling facilities into a petrol bomb factory churning out Molotov cocktails to be launched at Russian tanks. The bottles read ‘Putin Huilo’, which translates into a slur attached with the Russian President’s name.

Google Trends data also show that the search for Molotov cocktails surged exponentially in the last few days.

What is a Molotov cocktail?

Known as the poor man’s grenade, the Molotov cocktail is an improvised incendiary weapon that is made by pouring flammable liquid in a glass bottle, stuffing it with a cloth that acts as a wick and setting the cloth-wick on fire. When the bottle is hurled and smashed, the flammable liquid turns into a fireball, spreading its flames.

Molotov cocktails are known to be used by groups or individuals who are short on regular military-issue weapons. In the past it has been used in riots, urban guerrilla warfare, gang wars, and even against invading armies.

Origin of Molotov cocktail

The Molotov cocktail got its name after the non-aggression Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was signed in 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union that split Poland into Germany and Soviet territory, while also ceding Finland to the Soviets, who had earlier controlled it under the Russian Empire.

The Soviets air raided the country that year. But Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov assured Russian radio listeners that the bombing missions were actually airborne humanitarian food deliveries for their starving neighbours. In response to the propaganda broadcasts, the Finna called the bombs ‘Molotov bread baskets’. So, when the hand-held bottle firebombs were developed, they called them Molotov cocktails to go along with his ‘food parcels’.

The bottle bombs were mass-produced by the Alko corporation that added tar to the gasoline so that the liquid would stick better, according to a report in Quartz.

The Finns reportedly threw half a million Molotov cocktails. The idea was such a hit that the British home guard collected them to use against potential Nazi invasion, and the Polish army developed a newer version with sulfuric acid, sugar, and potassium chlorate. However, the actual origins can be traced back to the Irish Republican Army which may have developed and used it by 1922 for their regular operations including ambushes against the police and the military, the report added.