Russia claims to have recently used a so-called “vacuum bomb” in Ukraine to eliminate a large number of enemy forces. A vacuum bomb, also known as a volumetric detonation bomb or thermobaric weapon, is an explosive munition that creates a destructive blast wave from a fuel-air mixture. Because it is made up of almost 100 percent fuel, it is more energetic and powerful than conventional explosives. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that around 300 Ukrainian soldiers were killed following an “accurate” airstrike using a vacuum bomb. The exact location of the strike was not disclosed, but Deputy Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Alexei Kim said it happened at a “deployment point of the ‘Kraken’ nationalist formation,” referring to a Ukrainian special intelligence unit.
Vacuum bombs disperse an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid, or powdered explosive to neutralize a target. It is so powerful that a blast reportedly collapses buildings and ruptures human organs. Walls or even caves cannot guarantee a soldier’s protection when targeted by a thermobaric weapon. Typically, vacuum bombs are fired from hand-held launchers but can also be launched from aircraft. Russia operates the TOS-1A thermobaric weapon, which can “suck the air out of victims’ lungs,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Given its destructive power, the Ukrainian military was urged to destroy the weapons before invading forces could use them.
A spokesperson for the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine denied Moscow’s claims, telling CNN that the statement was “absolute nonsense.” He also said the claim could be part of Russia’s latest propaganda, which includes the alleged killing of 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
