The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense says it has “confirmed” the Russian military’s use of thermobaric weapons in Ukraine.
Thermobaric weapons have been around for decades, and both the United States and Russia have allegedly used them previously, but its use in Ukraine, where there has mostly been urban warfare, is significant. These missiles are equipped with powdered metals that, when ignited, create a massive explosion that in turn consumes the available oxygen, creating a vacuum effect, according to the Wall Street Journal.
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“The Russian MoD has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine,” the ministry said on social media Wednesday afternoon. “The TOS-1A uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects.”
The alleged use of such weapons raises questions about war crimes — the use of these weapons is not wholly outlawed, but the killing of civilians is banned.
“Under the law of war applicable to the United States, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and other law of war treaties that the United States has accepted, cluster munitions and thermobaric munitions are not banned as such,” a Department of Defense spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. “The law of war prohibits using any weapon, including cluster munitions and thermobaric munitions, to target civilians.”
A thermobaric rocket launcher was seen being transported into Ukraine days ago, while there have also been accusations that Russia is also using cluster munitions, which are bombs that release smaller bombs when they hit the ground and explode.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv also declared the Russian forces’ attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, a “war crime,” though the White House and State Department pumped the brakes, arguing that it was too soon to tell.
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Russia’s invasion has taken a significant toll on the Ukrainian people and the country’s infrastructure as a whole.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that there have been 516 civilians killed, while another 908 have been wounded. Roughly 40 children were among those who have been killed. There have been more than 2.1 million people who have fled the country, per the U.N.
