Russia has been using thermobaric weapons, also known as 'vacuum bombs', to strike Ukrainian cities, a large number of videos shared on social media with the claim shows.
Ukraine’s ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova also alleged that Moscow has indeed been using 'vacuum bombs' in a horrifying escalation that can cause mass destruction.
Thermobaric weapons are widely considered to be one of the most brutal war weapons only second to nuclear weapons. The missiles are filled with highly explosive fuel and chemical mix which can cause supersonic blast waves obliterating anything in its path causing widespread destruction. The blast wave also lasts longer than normal bombs, experts have said.
Videos shared by citizens and journalists in Ukraine, who have claimed or assumed they were vacuum bombs due to the intensity of the hit, have flooded Twitter.
The other deadly bomb Russia has been using are cluster munitions, Ukraine claims. These are bombs or rockets that release a cluster of smaller “bomblets” over a large area.
See some videos of massive explosions in Ukraine as shared on Twitter.
Living organisms can be potentially vapourised due to the bomb and those in closer proximity may suffer grave injuries including eardrums bursting or even blindness.
TOS-1 thermobaric rocket launchers have been seen moving towards Ukrainian cities, CNN reported. These bombs can be deployed for clearing large stretches of ground and underground locations starving occupants of oxygen when it detonates.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was quoted by Reuters saying: "If that (Russia using vacuum bombs) were true, it would potentially be a war crime." She also added that international organisations would look to assess this and the Biden administration "would look to be a part of that conversation."
Thermobaric weapons have not been unequivocally banned yet but under international humanitarian law, they should not be used.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine entered the eighth day today as casualties rose with no signs of the conflict being resolved. Russian President Vladimir Putin has shrugged off sanctions and warnings from the West ramping up the attacks and has even asked Moscow's nuclear weapons arsenal on high alert snowballing the crisis into a worldwide worry. Russia is number 1 in the world in terms of nuclear weapons.
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