Russia has confirmed use of weapon capable of vaporizing human bodies in attack on Ukraine
Russian Army TOS-1A "Solntsepyok (Blazing Sun)" multiple rocket launcher and thermobaric weapon mounted on a T-72 tank. (File Photo by Leonid Faerberg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
NEW YORK - Russia has used a weapon in Ukraine capable of vaporizing human bodies and the UK Ministry of Defence says Russia has confirmed its use.
Thermobaric weapons consist of a fuel container and two separate explosive charges, with the first detonating to disperse the fuel particles and the second igniting the dispersed fuel and oxygen in the air.
It creates a blast wave of extreme pressure and heat that creates a partial vacuum in an enclosed space. That makes the weapon particularly deadly for people in an enclosed space.
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That can cause human bodies to vaporize.
The Pentagon has said that Russian mobile launchers for thermobaric weapons were spotted inside Ukraine, but couldn't confirm their use.
The UK MoD said its Russian counterpart said the TOS-1A weapon system had been deployed.
Ukrainian officials have also accused Russia of using cluster munitions.
Such weapons are designed to target enemy troops and weapons over a broad area, and their use in populated areas inevitably would lead to mass casualties among civilians.
Cluster bombs, rockets, and artillery shells open in the air, releasing submunitions, or "bomblets," that are dispersed over a large area and simultaneously hit multiple targets.
Beyond the initial impact, bomblets have a high rate of failure to explode, posing a long-time threat of killing and maiming people for a long time after they were fired.