Russia used cluster bombs, vacuum bombs during invasion, claims Ukrainian ambassador
A vacuum bomb, also known as a thermobaric weapon, draws oxygen from the surrounding air to create a high-temperature explosion, often creating a blast wave that lasts far longer than that of a conventional explosive and capable of vaporising human beings.
FollowHuman rights groups and Ukraine's envoy to the US accused Russia on Monday of using cluster bombs and vacuum bombs against Ukrainians, weapons that have been denounced by a number of international organisations. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch stated that Russian forces seemed to have used widely prohibited cluster bombs, with Amnesty accusing Russian forces of striking a preschool in northeastern Ukraine while people took cover inside.
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told reporters after meeting with members of the United States Congress that Russia utilised a thermobaric weapon known as a vacuum bomb in its invasion of her nation. "They utilised the vacuum bomb today," Markarova said during a meeting with legislators. "...The harm Russia is attempting to wreak on Ukraine is massive," she added. Markarova stated that Ukraine is actively collaborating with the Biden administration and Congress to gain additional weaponry and stiffer sanctions.
A vacuum bomb, also known as a thermobaric weapon, draws oxygen from the surrounding air to create a high-temperature explosion, often creating a blast wave that lasts far longer than that of a conventional explosive and capable of vaporising human beings.
There has been no official confirmation that thermobaric weapons were employed in the Ukraine war. CNN said early Saturday afternoon that one of its teams had observed a Russian thermobaric multiple rocket launcher near the Ukrainian border. Requests for response were not returned by the Russian embassy in Washington.
According to Amnesty International, the use of weapons that are inherently indiscriminate, such as cluster bombs, is prohibited under international humanitarian law. It is a war crime to launch indiscriminate assaults that kill or hurt people.
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