Makeshift arms are pouring out of Ukraine’s ateliers

I didn't take long for Pravda to switch from making beer to making cocktails. The day after Russia invaded, it began making these incendiaries. The equipment used for brews that won awards in Europe is now used to make a brew from six parts machine oil, three parts petrol, four parts expanded polystyrene and a sprinkling of powdered aluminium. The result is soupy, sticky and burns like crazy, the better to destroy any Russian military vehicle it is thrown at. After running out of its own bottles, the brewery stooped to fill empties that used to hold beers like Miller and Corona.

Pravda's employees are not content to mix Molotovs. They are also making caltrops. If they fall, one spike points upwards. Alexander the Great used caltrops to beat the Persians at Gaugamela in 331 BC. They were supposed to bring down war chariots. Vehicles and soldiers are now their targets. The lengths of twisted steel used to reinforce concrete are what Pravda's people make them out of.

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