Ukraine accused Russia of using thermobaric, or vacuum, weapons, whose powerful blast can unleash a devastating toll on people and buildings.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon in an attack earlier that day. U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallacesaid Thursday that Russia has deployed such weapons in Ukraine. “We’ve seen the deployment of thermobaric artillery weapon systems and we worry how broad those could go,” he said during a news...
Advertisement - Scroll to Continue
Ukraine accused Russia of using thermobaric, or vacuum, weapons, whose powerful blast can unleash a devastating toll on people and buildings.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S., told reporters on Capitol Hill Monday that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon in an attack earlier that day. U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Thursday that Russia has deployed such weapons in Ukraine. “We’ve seen the deployment of thermobaric artillery weapon systems and we worry how broad those could go,” he said during a news conference in Estonia. He didn’t say such weapons had been used.
When asked Monday about reports of Russia’s use of vacuum warheads, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “I don’t have any confirmation of that.”
Thermobaric weapons have been around for decades and have been used by the U.S. and Russia in previous battles. Unlike rockets that are filled with preformed fragments designed to do damage by sending projectiles flying through the air, these weapons hold an explosive mixture containing powdered metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, or organic materials. The mix scatters and ignites, creating a massive explosion designed to go around physical barriers and flow inside structures. That can make the reach of their destructiveness more expansive than other kinds of rockets.
The Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C., didn’t respond to requests for comment. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this week that allegations Russia has used thermobaric weapons were a “complete canard.”
Advertisement - Scroll to Continue
Russia’s TOS-1 series thermobaric system launches unguided, large-caliber vacuum rockets. The munitions use a bursting charge to scatter the thermobaric mixture once it reaches the target. Milliseconds after, a second charge ignites the scattered mix and creates a massive blast.
Not only can the reach of the blast be much bigger than that of typical high explosives, the explosion can flow around barriers and penetrate structures. Because thermobaric weapons are not designed to expel fragments as do conventional explosives, they can be used to target shielded and hidden targets.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, the director of Armament Research Services, an Australian weapons-analyst organization, said the TOS-1 series of thermobaric rocket launchers has several inherent technical characteristics that make mitigating their potential for civilian harm difficult. “They are not particularly precise weapons, the rockets are typically fired in salvos covering a wide area, and the munitions produce a large blast effect,” he said.
Other thermobaric weapons create a high-temperature fireball which causes a powerful pressure drop that sucks in oxygen all around it and creates a prolonged vacuum effect. This can be fatal to people beyond the fireball, making it effective against people inside buildings, caves and bunkers.
Advertisement - Scroll to Continue
The U.S. used thermobaric weaponry in Afghanistan in 2002 to attack cave complexes where al Qaeda and Taliban fighters were hiding, according to a 2004 report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
A 2007 Russian thermobaric weapons test had an explosive yield of 44 tons, according to a Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation report published Tuesday. U.S. nuclear weapons, for context, can range from 50,000 tons to 1.2 megatons, according to the organization.
Russia used thermobaric weapons against ground forces in Ukraine in 2014, according to a 2018 article by the U.S. Army War College. The strike nearly destroyed two Ukrainian mechanized battalions. In Syria, a Russian-made air-to-surface thermobaric bomb killed almost 100 people at a market, according to the article. China also produces thermobaric munitions.
Write to Ana Rivas at ana.rivas@wsj.com, Roque Ruiz at Roque.RuizGonzalez@wsj.com and Taylor Umlauf at Taylor.Umlauf@wsj.com