Russian officials are investigating a plot that allegedly sent explosive-laden first-person view (FPV) goggles to drone units in the hope they would detonate, killing or injuring the operator. It mirrors the mass attack Israel carried out against Hezbollah last September using thousands of explosive-packed pagers and walkie-talkies. More than two dozen Hezbollah members were killed and thousands wounded in that incident. You can read more about that here.
Investigators reportedly interceded before any of the explosives-rigged goggles were activated.
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Straight from the Israeli Playbook: Russia Intercepts Explosive-Laden AR Goggles Meant for Frontline Troops
Russian authorities have intercepted a shipment of FPV goggles rigged with explosives, allegedly intended to detonate upon first use.
“ATTENTION! According to our sources, enemy saboteurs have attempted a mass terrorist act on Russian territory using volunteers (without their knowledge),” the Russian Razved Dozor Telegram channel wrote Friday. “The competent authorities are already working on the situation.”
“There are reports from military personnel of multiple cases of volunteers delivering mined FPV Skyzone Cobra goggles,” Razved Dozor claimed. “The goggles contain improvised explosive devices (IED) with 10-15 grams of plastic explosive. Detonation occurs when the goggles are turned on.”
Razved Dozor posted several pictures and a video claiming to show these goggles and the explosives embedded in them.
Russians complain about receiving humanitarian aid with explosives – FPV drone goggles that explode upon activation. Inside, an explosive device was found, discovered only during use. pic.twitter.com/iHesNJtZLF
The goggles were sent in humanitarian aid packages by unwitting volunteers, Razved Dozor noted. As FPV drones have played an increasingly important combat role, there have been crowd-sourced efforts by both sides to supply drones, goggles and other required equipment to front-line troops.
It is unclear how many of these sabotaged goggles were sent out. Authorities intercepted several after the condition of the boxes raised suspicions.
“The boxes with the glasses themselves show weak signs of being opened,” the Russian Readovka news outlet reported on Friday. ”Only thanks to the vigilance of the military was it possible to avoid a catastrophe. Information about what happened has already been passed on to the security forces, and the perpetrator of the assassination attempt is being identified.”
“The sender is listed as a certain Roman,” Readovka noted. “The parcels were sent via SDEK,” a large global logistics company.
A box of allegedly explosive-laden FPV goggles sent to Russian troops. (Via X)
Though the goggles contained only a small amount of explosives, “the power of the explosion would have been enough to break a temple,” the popular Alex Parker Returns Telegram channel explained. “The work was done rather sloppily, traces of opening were visible on the glasses and therefore sabotage was miraculously avoided. I am sure that this is only the beginning and further intensity of such sabotage will only increase. What a horror.”
Ukrainians “were able to repeat the trick with pagers,” Alex Parker Returns suggested in a reference to the Israeli pager and walkie-talkie attack on Hezbollah.
The first wave of those explosions, on Sept. 17, 2024, targeted pagers used by Hezbollah that were triggered simultaneously. The second wave of explosions, on the following day, targeted walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah. You can read more details about how it unfolded in our reporting here.
A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut’s southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. . (Photo by AFP)
While the Israeli and suspected Ukrainian plots to embed explosives in devices used by their enemies are similar, there is one big difference. The Israeli attack was far more sophisticated, with pagers and walkie-talkies triggered by a specific message command sent simultaneously to thousands of devices. It also came after years of espionage work, which included setting up front companies and an elaborate supply chain. The FPV plot just required the goggles to be powered up, meaning that if one exploded, it would likely warn other operators, reducing the number of casualties.
Russian milbloggers remain concerned that this may be only the beginning of a much larger campaign. With good reason.
The fact that a sabotage attempt of this nature has occurred means that any electronics that troops interface with could be at risk of similar tampering. Having to physically disassemble every device that is needed to fuel a very hot war would drastically slow down supply chains. It also causes deep psychological effects on troops who now have to wonder if any item they pickup is similarly equipped.
We will have to wait and see how the Russian military reacts at scale going forward.
