Vacuum Bomb or Thermobaric bomb: The ambassador of Ukraine, Oksana Markarova to the United States accused Russia of attacking the country with cluster bombs and vacuum bombs. Markarova said after a meeting with lawmakers that "They used the vacuum bomb." "The devastation that Russia trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."
According to a Reuters report, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both said that Russian forces used widely banned cluster munitions.
CNN also reported that Russian TOS-1 rocket launchers can launch up to 30 rockets armed with thermobaric warheads were mobilized in eastern Ukraine.
According to a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Dr. Marcus Hellyer, "it was not clear if they had been deployed yet by Russia in Ukraine, it was only a matter of time."
Take a look at the Thermobaric Bomb or Vacuum Bomb and how it works.
What is a Vacuum Bomb or a Thermobaric Bomb?
Thermobaric weapons are also known as aerosol bombs or vacuum bombs. This type of explosives uses oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion. The blast wave produced by these weapons lasts longer than that of a conventional condensed explosive. With the help of a rocket, it can be launched or it can be dropped from an airplane as a bomb. One of the best-known types of thermobaric weapons is fuel-air explosives. Basically, thermobaric weapons are hundred percent fuel and so are significantly more energetic than conventional condensed explosives of equal weight.
How does Vacuum Bomb or Thermobaric Bomb work?
A thermobaric weapon or vacuum bomb consists of a fuel container and two separate explosive charges. When they dropped or launched and hit the target, the first charge detonates to disperse the particles of fuel. The second charge ignites the dispersed fuel and oxygen in the air. A blast wave is generated of extreme pressure and heat that has the potential to reverberate and to create a partial vacuum in an enclosed space. Such weapon can destroy reinforced buildings, equipment and kill or injure people.
Therefore, we can say that the precision-guided bomb strikes the target, then a small explosion occurs and releases a cloud of explosive material. Further, a second explosion ignites clouds and causes a massive blast that is capable of vaporising human bodies.
Key Facts
It is said that in the 1960s, fuel-air explosives were developed by the United States and used in Vietnam.
In 2007, Russia tested the largest thermobaric weapon, the so-called "Father of all bombs". The explosion equivalent of a 44-tonne conventional bomb was created which makes it the biggest non-nuclear explosive device in the world.
According to the BBC, as such, there are no international laws that specifically ban the use of these bombs. Under The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, if these bombs were used by a country to target civilian populations in built-up areas, schools or hospitals then it could be convicted of a war crime.
Karim Khan, the International Criminal Court prosecutor, said that his court will investigate possible war crimes in Ukraine.
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