Vacuum bombs: Russia's scary weapon that can destroy a city with a single blow

Fears are growing that continuing the war in Ukraine could mean an escalation of violence and the use of increasingly deadly weapons.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the US announced that a vacuum bomb - also known as a thermobaric weapon - was used by Russia during the invasion of Ukraine.

The use of such weapons, which absorb oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, has not yet been confirmed by other sources. Dr. Marcus Hellyer, an analyst at the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy, said that while it was unclear whether they were used by Russia, it could only be a "matter of time".

How do they work? The thermobaric weapon is a two-phase ammunition. The charge of the first phase disperses an aerosol composed of a very fine material - from a carbon-based fuel to small metal particles. A second charge ignites that cloud, creating a fireball, a huge shock wave, and a vacuum that absorbs all the oxygen around it.

Such weapons are used for various purposes and come in a variety of sizes. In Ukraine, these weapons can be used to destroy defense forces because they absorb oxygen from the lungs of defenders.

Thermobaric weapons are not the same as nuclear bombs, however the symptoms can be even more dangerous indoors. A nuclear weapon is still a weapon of mass destruction, the use of which has long-term consequences, which is not the case with a thermobaric weapon system, although this system can undoubtedly cause a lot of injuries and destruction.

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Sources: Guardian, Reuters, Euronews