Videos Offer Insight Into Russian Assault on Azovstal – Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, Ukraine said this week that Russian troops deployed either incendiary ammunition or phosphorous on Ukrainian soldiers defending the Azovstal steelworks in the city.
Video footage of the incendiary munitions being fired in Ukraine was also shared online.
“Mariupol. Azovstal. New attacks: from land, sea, and air,” Andriushchenko said. “Yesterday the occupiers deployed incendiary or phosphorous bombs against Mariupol Defenders for the first time (we will let experts determine the exact type of ammunition deployed).”
Russian forces claim that they had used 9M22C incendiary projectiles in Ukraine, a form of munition that reach temperatures of up to 2,500ºC and cause fires that are virtually impossible to put out.
The 9M22S incendiary missiles are understood to have been launched from a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher system.
The video footage shows bright, glowing material being fired from the air at the steel plant, before floating to the ground.
How 9M22S Rockets Work
Russia’s 122mm 9M22S is an incendiary, electrically initiated surface-to-surface rocket. The munition is fired from truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher systems and is usually used against flammable targets or when aimed specifically at personnel.
The rocket can be fitted with other kinds of warheads, which include chemicals, smoke, and submunitions.
Reportedly Russian 9M22S incendiary munitions from Grad MLRS being used on Azovstal. https://t.co/QGE0jJeicp pic.twitter.com/rPHJtbNUYG
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 15, 2022
In the Azovstal attacks, the warhead is believed to have been fitted with ML-5 magnesium cups that are filled with thermite. Each cup has a burn time of more than two minutes.
Thermite is a mixture of metal oxide and metal power. Once ignited, the material undergoes a chemical reaction that generates a tremendous amount of heat. Ignited thermite can easily burn though metal and cause fires.
Additional Footage Shows Russian Bomber Targeting Azovstal, Ukraine
Other footage shared online appears to show the inside of a Russian Su-24 bomber as it attacked the Azovstal steel plant. In the 10-second-long clip, viewers get a very short glimpse of the fighter jet’s cockpit.
Video from a Russian Su-24 bomber on a bombing run on Azovstal. https://t.co/zajDcLAIHshttps://t.co/2yYMb7QPvH pic.twitter.com/zDvYGzx1uC
— Rob Lee (@RALee85) May 15, 2022
The camera spins around and then appears to show the rear of the plane.
Footage also taken from the air, apparently from an Inokhodets UCAV, also shows Russian missiles being launched at the Azovstal plant. The Inokhodets UCAV is a kind of Russian unmanned aerial vehicle first introduced in 2020. Fewer than 30 drones have been made and are presently used only by the Russian military.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
