Ukranians learn to use Molotov cocktails
March 02, 2022  11:42
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Civilians in Zhytomyr, Ukraine train to throw Molotov cocktails to defend the city, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters.

A Molotov cocktail, also known as a petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, bottle bomb, poor man's grenade, fire bomb (not to be confused with an actual fire bomb), fire bottle or just Molotov, sometimes shortened as Molly, is a generic name used for a variety of bottle-based improvised incendiary weapons.

The name was coined by the Finns during the Winter War, called Molotovin koktaili in Finnish. The name was a pejorative reference to Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was one of the architects of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed in late August 1939.

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