Russia Accused of Using Thermobaric Weapons in Ukraine – After Russian President Vladimir Putin placed his nuclear weapons forces on “high alert” this weekend, there were genuine fears in some parts of the West and in Europe that a nuclear war could start either by design (by Putin) as his forces have become increasingly bogged down in Ukraine or by accident.
“Western countries aren’t only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country,” Putin said on Russian television.
The Russian forces have been reportedly plagued with morale and supply problems and have still gained little ground despite having overwhelming numbers of men, armored vehicles, artillery, and aircraft.
With their forces making little progress, there were fears that the Russian military would resort to the more indiscriminate and concentrated bombing of civilian areas in Ukraine, and on Monday that was what transpired. Kyiv was hit by barrages of concentrated artillery and missile fire.
Late Monday afternoon, the Ukrainian ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova told lawmakers on Capitol Hill that Russian forces used thermobaric weapons, also known as “vacuum bombs” which suck oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. CNN reported seeing TOS-1 or TOS-1A Multiple Rocket Launcher Systems in Ukraine. They are capable of launching 30 missiles with thermobaric warheads.
“The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large,” she said. The use of such a weapon is a breach of the Geneva Conventions, she added.
What Are Thermobaric Weapons?
Thermobaric weapons come in all sizes from rocket-propelled grenades to bombs dropped from aircraft and to the missiles as mentioned above. They are considered one of the more barbaric weapons today.
The missiles are loaded with a highly combustible mix of chemicals and explosives that ignite the surrounding air, producing a lethal shock wave and sucking the air from the lungs of anyone in the vicinity.
Far more powerful than conventional explosives, thermobaric weapons — also known as fuel-air bombs and vacuum bombs produce a supersonic blast wave that will clear large swaths of land, destroying everything in its path.
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Thermobaric weapons are two-stage munitions. The first-stage charge distributes an aerosol made up of very fine material a carbon-based fuel and tiny metal particles. The second charge ignites the vapor cloud, creating a fireball, a huge shock wave, and a vacuum as it sucks up all surrounding oxygen.
Russia has used thermobaric weapons to devastating effect in Chechnya and Syria. After their use in Syria, Peter Lee a professor at the University of Portsmouth in the UK wrote about the horrifying results of the weapon.
“Imagine taking a deep breath then submerging yourself in water. Then imagine having all of the oxygen forced instantaneously from your body. Try to inhale again. But instead of cold water filling your lungs, toxic, flammable particles start killing you from the inside out,” he wrote.
According to a US CIA study, “the effect of a Fuel-Air Explosive (FAE) explosion within confined spaces is immense. Those near the ignition point are obliterated. Those at the fringe are likely to suffer many internal, thus invisible injuries, including burst eardrums and crushed inner ear organs, severe concussions, ruptured lungs, and internal organs, and possibly blindness.”
Steve Balestrieri is a 1945 National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 19fortyfive.com, he has covered the NFL for PatsFans.com for more than 10 years and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.
