Capable of vaporizing human bodies.. Ukrainian fears of Russia's vacuum bomb (video)

Concerns about Russia's use of high-explosive thermal weapons are mounting, after the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States said that "the aggressor forces used the vacuum bomb during their invasion."

The use of such weapons, which deflate oxygen, to generate a superheated explosion, has not been confirmed, although footage from Ukraine showed thermal missile launchers on Russian TOS-1 vehicles, the Guardian reported.

"While it is not clear whether Russia has yet used such bombs in Ukraine, it is only a matter of time," Markus Heller, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the Guardian.

A thermal weapon, also known as an aerosol bomb, or air-fueled explosive, is a two-stage munition.

The first stage charge distributes a very fine material in the atmosphere, a carbon-based fuel that turns into small metal particles, then the second charge ignites that cloud, creating a fireball, a huge shock wave, and a vacuum as it absorbs all the surrounding oxygen.

The blast wave can last much longer than conventional explosives, and is capable of vaporizing human bodies.

These weapons are used for a variety of purposes and come in different sizes.

Video of the explosion of the "vacuum bomb" called the "mother of all bombs" in Ukraine today, and Ukrainian activists said:



If you see such an explosion, open your mouth immediately so that your lungs do not explode, and put your fingers deeply inside your ears.

pic.twitter.com/5wHJsXFYMZ

— American Events 🇺🇸 (@US_World1) February 28, 2022

“Russia may use them in Ukraine to destroy defensive positions,” says Hellyer, adding that “the very large, air-launched versions are designed to destroy caves and tunnel complexes.”

Russian and Western forces have used thermal weapons since the 1960s.

Hellyer says that Russia has a long track record of using them, longer than the West, as Russia possesses a variety of them, ranging from small tactical weapons to huge air-launched bombs, noting that the separatists that Russia supported in eastern Ukraine in the Donbass region, have been using them for several years. Years.

Hellyer considers that thermal weapons were effective in their "specific purpose" of "essentially destroying defensive sites", expressing fears of their use against civilians, as "they could be a very destructive weapon, if used against an apartment complex."

Despite the devastating impact of these weapons and their effects that can be very horrific, they are not illegal, says Hellyer.

He expects to see more scenes of heat war in Ukraine, saying, "One of the things we know about Russian tactics is that they are willing to destroy everything."

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