Ukraine

Here's something I haven't seen before, but I've now seen twice in one day.

Early today someone here posted a tweet with the "witch" holding a mortar rocket on her shoulder with these thick split rings placed around the narrow part of the rocket shaft. The one she was holding had red split rings around it.

This tweet shows blue split rings being placed around mortar rockets. In both cases the split rings appear to be made of light weight foam, and four of them are placed such that the split gaps do not fall in alignment with the ones above or below:



All in all that reminds me of the way piston rings are placed around an engine piston. My guess is they are used to extend the range of the mortar rockets by increasing the gas pressure seal as the rocket engine ignites in the mortar tube, accelerating the rocket to an increased speed.

Then I would think the thick split rings fall off in flight, and no longer block the air flow over the fins at the rear of the rocket such that the fins take over and guide the rocket to where it goes. They might blow off, melt, or burn off since they are made of foam.