The K-51 gas grenade is a Soviet-era CS riot-control agent munition documented in 2014 Russia-Ukraine War reporting as a drone-dropped battlefield chemical munition. Specialist references describe it as a base-emission hand grenade with a K-510 fuze and CS irritant filling, while Ukrainian national statements posted by the OPCW identify K-51 grenades among Russian-used delivery systems for chemical agents in Ukraine.
Ukrainian statements posted by the OPCW document Russian use of K-51 aerosol gas grenades against Ukrainian positions, including UAV drops in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia sectors and named incidents near Marinka, Spirne, Avdiivka, and other front-line areas.
Role detailsThe open sources distinguish between specific K-51 incidents and broader Ukrainian counts of chemical-agent munition use. The strongest public evidence ties K-51 grenades to Russian UAV drops and front-line chemical-agent incidents rather than to conventional explosive effects.
| Evidence lane | What it documents | Source labels |
|---|---|---|
| Named incidents | Ukrainian statements posted by the OPCW list K-51 use near Marinka, Spirne, Avdiivka, and other Donetsk-sector positions, including UAV delivery and injuries in several cases. | Ukraine CSP-29 National Statement on Russian Chemical Weapons Use; Ukraine EC-109 National Statement on Russian Chemical Weapons Use |
| Russian unit reporting | Business Insider and Army Recognition reported that Russia's 810th Naval Infantry Brigade described dropping K-51 grenades from drones near Krynky in December 2023. | Russia Admits to Using Tear Gas Chemical Weapons on Ukrainian Troops; Russian Forces Use Chemical K-51 Gas Grenades Dropped by Drones in Ukraine |
| Visual and carrier evidence | The Commons-hosted State Border Guard Service image shows a K-51 dropped by Russian drone in Donetsk Oblast, and Gagadget reported a captured DJI Mavic-series drone prepared to carry a K-51 grenade. | File:K-51 grenade dropped by Russian drone in Donetsk Oblast.jpg; Ukrainian border guards seize Russian DJI Mavic 3 quadcopter with K-51 gas grenade for the first time |
Open-source reporting links the grenade to a DJI Mavic-series drone prepared for a planned drop.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Commercial quadcopter UAV | Gagadget reports that a DJI Mavic-series drone, judged from photos to be a Mavic 3, was carrying a K-51 gas grenade for a planned drop. |
Ukraine's 2024 OPCW statement says Soviet investigation documents referred to K-51 or CS products during the April 1989 Tbilisi crackdown.
Sources: Ukraine - Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine to the OPCW at the 105th Session of the Executive Council under Agenda Item 7(e)
A State Border Guard Service of Ukraine image hosted on Wikimedia Commons identifies a K-51 aerosol grenade dropped from a Russian drone on Ukrainian border guards in Donetsk Oblast.
Sources: File:K-51 grenade dropped by Russian drone in Donetsk Oblast.jpg
Reporting on the Russian 810th Naval Infantry Brigade described drone drops of K-51 grenades against Ukrainian positions near Krynky, Kherson Oblast.
Sources: Russia Admits to Using Tear Gas Chemical Weapons on Ukrainian Troops
A Ukrainian national statement posted by the OPCW said the National Guard of Ukraine recorded 1,329 cases involving riot-control-agent weapons through October 29, 2024, with K-51 gas hand grenades listed among the primary UAV-delivered munitions.
Sources: Ukraine CSP-29 National Statement on Russian Chemical Weapons Use
Ukraine's EC-109 statement said K-51 and RG-VO gas grenades remained well-known delivery systems in its reporting on Russian chemical-agent munition use.
Sources: Ukraine EC-109 National Statement on Russian Chemical Weapons Use
