At least one piece of terrible news from the Ukrainian battlefield was denied in Western intelligence circles on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian ambassador in Washington accused Russia on Monday evening of using a so-called vacuum bomb.
Before the American Congress, Oksana Markarova said: "Today you used a vacuum bomb, which is prohibited under the Geneva Convention." But in the West there are serious doubts about the account.
But not because there is a risk.
A TOS-1 rocket launcher with such warheads was sighted near the Russian city of Belgorod, ten kilometers from the border with Ukraine.
Stephen Klenner
Editor FAZ objection.
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Ulf von Rauchhaupt
Editor in the “Science” section of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sunday newspaper.
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Explosive weapons of this type are also called aerosol bombs or thermobaric bombs.
While ordinary explosives contain the oxygen required for the explosive reaction in most cases, aerosol bombs use the oxygen in the air as an oxidizer, which is extracted from the environment and creates a negative pressure after the pressure wave of the explosion - hence the name vacuum bomb.
People who are in the vicinity of such an explosion and survive the blast and heat build-up are at risk of dying of lung injuries from pressure trauma.
Aerosol explosives consist of a fuel container that is deliberately ruptured by a small explosive charge, allowing the contents to disperse over a larger volume and mix with the oxygenated air.
The mixture is only ignited when this aerosol cloud has spread somewhat – and possibly penetrated into houses, caves or bunker systems.
From the attacker's point of view, aerosol bombs are therefore particularly suitable for combating such targets and thus for preparing for a house-to-house fight.
Detonation not only at the site of the bomb
Since the detonation of an aerosol bomb is more of a deflagration, the pressure wave itself is generally weaker than when explosives such as TNT are used.
However, the detonation does not only take place at the location of the bomb, but practically simultaneously in a much larger volume of space.
Effectively, aerosol bombs are therefore incendiary weapons within the meaning of III.
Protocol to the "Convention Concerning the Prohibition or Restriction of the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Cause Excessive Suffering or Act Indiscriminately".
It classifies ordnance as incendiary weapons "which are intended to combine penetrating, explosive or fragmentation effects with an additional incendiary effect".
The use of incendiary weapons is not prohibited under all circumstances in the international treaty, but is subject to strict requirements.
The use of incendiary weapons is not only prohibited against civilians, but also against military targets that are "within a concentration of civilians".
This applies without exception if the incendiary weapons are used from the air.
If the incendiary weapons are used in other ways, this is only permissible if civilians and the military objective can be clearly separated and precautionary measures are taken.
Incendiary weapons may not be used against forests either, unless they are used to camouflage military targets or combatants.
Should Russia fail to meet these requirements and actually violate the UN Arms Convention, Ukraine would have several options.
It could appeal to the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly or the International Court of Justice to hold Russia accountable at the state level.
However, none of the three options will have direct consequences: Russia's right of veto means it can block decisions by the UN Security Council.
The right of veto does not exist before the General Assembly and before the International Court of Justice, but the implementation of the resolutions of both UN bodies often fails because they cannot enforce their implementation.
Appeal to the International Criminal Court could be more promising.
The criminal judges do not decide on the responsibility of a state, but sanction those personally responsible - such as individual soldiers or commanders.
If there is sufficient evidence, they can also take action against presidents.
If the use of the bombs turns out to be a war crime, the International Criminal Court can hold individuals accountable even if they are nationals of a country that does not recognize the Court.
Russia ended its cooperation with the International Criminal Court in 2016.
SS man developed the aerosol bomb
The aerosol bomb was developed by the Austrian physicist and SS Oberscharführer Mario Zippermayr (1899 to 1979) towards the end of the Second World War, but was no longer used at the time.
Both the Soviet Union and the USA then developed this type of weapon until it was suitable for the front and used it in the Soviet-Chinese conflict on the Ussuri in 1969 and in the Vietnam War.
At that time they were still referred to as "pressure wave weapons" because of the comparatively low heat development.
Later, however, the effect of heat could be increased by adding aluminium, zirconium or titanium.
According to press reports, Russia used thermobaric bombs in Chechnya in 1999 and later in Syria.
In September 2007, in a test, Russia detonated a thermobaric bomb with the highest non-nuclear explosive effect to date.
Its strength exceeded that of a tactical nuclear weapon.