What are vacuum bombs? Ukraine ambassador says Russia used them during invasion
A new, destructiveweapon might be in use during the conflict between Russia and Ukraine — vacuum bombs. On Feb. 28, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States told reporters that Russia was now attacking Ukraine with the weapons.
Ambassador Oksana Markarova said on the fifth day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that Russia “used a vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva Conventions.”
“The bomb, also known as a thermobaric weapon or aerosol bomb, draws oxygen from the atmosphere to create a bigger and more devastating explosion,” The Independent reported.
Using these weapons in populated areas could be a ”violation of international humanitarian law,” Marc Garlasco, an adviser to Netherlands-based peace organization PAX, told New Scientist.
According to New Scientist, vacuum bombs can be extremely damaging to structures and can be effective against tunnels and bunkers. The “prolonged outwards pressure wave” that follows the initial explosion of the bomb is highly dangerous and causes extensive internal injuries, “leaving victims dead with no signs of external damage,” the outlet reported.
When asked what the Biden administration’s response would be if Russia’s use of vacuum bombs was confirmed, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Feb. 28 that, while there is no confirmation yet, “if that were true, it would potentially be a war crime.”
Markarova said Russia is now “acting like Nazi Germany during the WWII,” killing innocent civilians in residential areas, orphanages, kindergartens and schools, according to The Independent.
“The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large but Ukrainians will resist. We are defending our home,” she said.
Catherine Philp, diplomatic correspondent at The Times in London, said vacuum bombs have been used before by Russia in Aleppo, Syria.
“These are not weapons to be used on civilian populated centers” she wrote on Twitter. “We are looking at war crimes.”
“They have to understand that it’s not OK in the 21st century to start war and kill people in their neighboring sovereign country,” Markarova told reporters.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts early Thursday, Feb. 24, “bombarding cities, towns and villages” as forces advanced toward the capital of Kyiv.
As of 7:30 a.m. ET on March 1, at least 352 Ukrainian citizens have been killed, Ukraine’s interior ministry said, according to McClatchy News, but U.N. officials believe the totals are “considerably higher.”
“We are not putting down arms,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Saturday, Feb. 26. “We will be defending our country, because our weapon is truth, and our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children, and we will defend all of this.”
Ukrainian forces are putting up a “very determined resistance,” particularly in Kyiv, which is under heavy Russian attack by artillery and cruise missiles, Reuters reported.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 11:11 AM with the headline "What are vacuum bombs? Ukraine ambassador says Russia used them during invasion."