In calculating the force of interaction of two spherical drops, the stress tensor component normal to the drop surface is taken from the solution of the corresponding problem of the elasticity theory, while the shear component is determined by the plastic properties of the medium. The results of the calculations performed are demonstrated to be in good agreement with experimental data on the character of drop motion and on the yield point of the medium surrounding the drops.Introduction. Stebnovskii [1], following his previous study [2], considered the behavior of drops of liquid paraffin, sunflower-seed oil, and industrial oil in an alcohol-water solution of uniform density. He found that, if the distance between two drops is of the order of their sizes, they approach each other until they merge into one drop, independent of the system scale. The experimental setup used in [1] was insulated from external force and heat effects. It was found in those experiments that the approach is observed only if both drops possess surface tension.Stebnovskii [3] also assumed that, at the initial stage of the process of drop approach, the ambient medium, which will be called the matrix as in [1], behaves as a solid that obeys Hooke's law. This assumption, however, does not explain the drop-approach mechanism, because the force acting on the drop from the side of the matrix is always zero by virtue of equations of equilibrium inside the drop and constant surface tension on the drop boundary. It is known from experiments, nevertheless, that water and, hence, the alcohol-water solution possess the yield point k 0 with the values in the interval from 10 −4 to 10 −3 Pa. The analysis performed in the present work shows that the absolute values of the shear stresses on the drop boundary cannot exceed the value of k 0 , whereas there are no constraints on the normal stresses. Therefore, the shear stresses have to be corrected, while the normal stresses should be retained as they were in considering the matrix as an elastic medium. Then, if the force induced by the normal stresses is sufficiently high to overcome the medium resistance due to shear stresses, then the drop starts moving (in this case, the equations of equilibrium inside the drop become incompatible, and they should be replaced by the equations of dynamics of the drop considered as an elastic solid). The force accelerating the drop acts until the drop covers a certain distance of the order of one molecule size. (This conclusion is confirmed by the estimates obtained in the present work.) After that, the molecular bonds, which made the matrix acquire the properties of a solid, are broken, some volume around the drop becomes "liquid," and the drop continues to move owing to inertia, gradually decelerating owing to medium resistance until it stops completely. After a certain time, the matrix on a certain part on the drop surface again becomes "solid," which induces a force acting on the drop. The process is repeated again.A method of calculating the force acting on the drop ...