“Found these in the Zaporizhzhya direction. The enemy is throwing chocolates with an explosive mechanism. Do not open them under any circumstances. Our guy was lucky that it did not detonate, otherwise he could have ended up crippled. I know guys whose fingers were torn off like that.”

  • HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 month ago

    That does seem like something that would violate some rules-of-war convention.

    Booby-trapping something that might be mistaken by civilians as a legitimate humanitarian aid drop risks non-combatant casualties and makes it harder for actual aid operations to operate.

    • Tar_Alcaran@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      39
      ·
      1 month ago

      Ah, this reminds the time when cluster munitions were bright yellow, so you could spot them and stay away.

      And food aid packages were bright yellow, so you could spot them and easily collect them.

      Yeah…

    • apotheotic (she/her)@beehaw.org
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      1 month ago

      If it is something they’re actually doing, I agree. But this image looks like a crafts project gone wrong. Are we supposed to believe that the bit a the bottom is like, high explosive or something and that tiny wire is the primer?

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      Yup. I read the convention on mines recently in the wake of the pagers thing. Even if chocolate isn’t humanitarian aid, portable booby trapped non-military items are forbidden if they self-trigger. (The pagers actually seem fine by the copy I read, because being remote-controlled makes them “other devices”)

      Edit: And also specifically food or drink.

    • Empricorn@feddit.nl
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      edit-2
      1 month ago

      SOURCES?

      I’ve asked about 10 times, but no one can seem to provide a single reputable journalistic source. Is that really such a tall order? Follow facts, not feelings…

      That’s true! If it happened. Does anyone have any source at all for this from any reputable news organization?

      • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        1 month ago

        It’s an argument you could make, but there’s already a convention against these specific types of weapon, even if you promise to be careful to clear them all when you’re done.

  • ghen@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    42
    ·
    1 month ago

    Far more likely this is being prepared by Russians as they retreat in Kursk and blamed on Ukraine just in case any Russian civilians get hit. We know for a fact that Russia booby traps civilian areas which is a war crime. There have been zero cases of Ukraine doing this. So if a booby trap exists it should be assumed Russian.

  • NateNate60@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    29
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Explosives don’t seem smart. Why didn’t they poison the chocolate instead? The enemy opens the chocolate, sees nothing wrong with it, shares it with their mates, and then now you’ve got five casualties who are none the wiser. Is that against the rules of war or something?

  • Empricorn@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    27
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    SOURCES?

    I’ve asked about 10 times, but no one can seem to provide a single reputable journalistic source. Is that really such a tall order? Follow facts, not feelings…

    We’re… supposed to believe Russia!? According to them, they still haven’t violently invaded Ukraine, kidnapped children, or committed war crimes!

    (To be clear, any war crimes need to be stopped, investigated, and prosecuted.)

    EDIT: Wait, there’s not even an article to look into sources? Just text and an image!? If this isn’t my specific app not cross-linking properly, this post has to violate community rules, right? Or at least it should…

    • Wilshire@sopuli.xyzOP
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      1 month ago

      We’re… supposed to believe Russia

      No.

      Wait, there’s not even an article to look into sources

      I do not post link to pro-Russian sources. You can do a reverse image search, if you so wish.

      • Empricorn@feddit.nl
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        2
        arrow-down
        5
        ·
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        SOURCES?

        I’ve asked about 10 times, but no one can seem to provide a single reputable journalistic source. Is that really such a tall order? Follow facts, not feelings…

        “Pro-Russian” sources? I think you misunderstand. I’m curious why there are no sources. Like, at all. Not just from you, but any that actually exist! I can’t find anything. Here’s a search that should be broad enough:

        https://www.google.com/search?q=Russia claim ukraine chocolate&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1-m#sbfbu=1&pi=Russia claim ukraine chocolate

        Adding “explosive” to the query doesn’t yield any better results. We don’t have to link propaganda, but if Russia is claiming this, there would be English-language articles about the claim, yes? Again, if anyone has any source, please post it… But no, “do your own research” isn’t sufficient for a claim with literally nothing to back it up.

        • remotelove@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          ·
          1 month ago

          You can start to track this down by reverse image searches if you are that curious. It’s a crap story, so the actual source is going to be ambiguous.

          This was the first I found, posted on the 4th, and I am not linking to it directly.

        • tpihkal@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          1 month ago

          You’re not going to find anything if you’re using Google for your searches.

          Try changing your location with a VPN. Search using Yandex. Translate your search to Russian first. Etc.

          • Empricorn@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            11
            ·
            edit-2
            1 month ago

            SOURCES?

            I’ve asked about 10 times, but no one can seem to provide a single reputable journalistic source. Is that really such a tall order? Follow facts, not feelings…

            • Burstar@sopuli.xyz
              shield
              M
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              edit-2
              1 month ago

              This isn’t a news community. It is a Ukrainian one. The preface “Russians say…” is all that is needed for desirable participants to understand the rest is BS.

              You are spamming. Move on.

              Edit: Oh, and FTR

          • Empricorn@feddit.nl
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            9
            ·
            edit-2
            1 month ago

            SOURCES?

            I’ve asked about 10 times, but no one can seem to provide a single reputable journalistic source. Is that really such a tall order? Follow facts, not feelings…

            …What sources? You act like language is a wall. Like there’s no journalist in the world that speaks Russian. Information knows no borders.

            This is the biggest global conflict right now, including Israel.

            • Dasus@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              1 month ago

              He’s saying there are none.

              Which is when I wouldn’t be posting this hot garbage, but I don’t think he understands that by spreading this he’s engaging in Russian propaganda, even when he’s posting it to show us “what a crazy unfounded claim they made.”

              It’s a bit like linking to some stupid influencer who you hate. Don’t give them the attention, that’s exactly what they want.

              Same thing with these stories.

              But looking at his profile I don’t think he’s pro-Russian. Just… silly.

    • Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      1 month ago

      I agree the round disc and deliberately folded wire screams something to do with RF, but a) how powered and for how long? and b) why a chocolate bar if so?

      It’s not like they hid a transmitter inside something that wouldn’t be taken apart or eaten, this was going to get discovered. Sneak a transmitter inside a PKM or radio, then let it be “captured” by the Russians.

      • barsoap@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        edit-2
        1 month ago

        a) how powered and for how long?

        Might even be passive, a tuned resonator. Heck it could be a bug, IIRC ironically passive bugs are (age-old) soviet tech. Imagine sweeping the whole frequency spectrum for resonators with 50s tech they were a nightmare to screen for.

        and b) why a chocolate bar if so?

        Maybe the idea is to track people for some time to gather intelligence on trench operations? Most probably aren’t going to eat the thing right away.

      • frozenpopsicle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        1 month ago

        The wire in the middle is bent and acts as a spring. The metal disk on top slaps the tan paper on bottom when the wrapper is removed. No power, all mechanical.

    • fuckingkangaroos@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 month ago

      Fuck the Kremlin. Broad hatred for the entire country will only drive the decent Russians into the Kremlin’s arms tentacles

  • SplashJackson@lemmy.ca
    cake
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    They only just discovered the chocolates yet somehow they know people who had their fingers blown off from them?

    Sounds a bit suspect, Ivan

  • 314@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    6
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    1 month ago

    Nice Halloween touch…victory to Ukraine. LOL, if vodka bottles were used…

    Send more weapons! Allow use on military targets in russia!