military bloggers claim horrifying footage shows Putin’s forces dropping the most powerful non-nuclear bomb on an already devastated Ukrainian city.
Pro-Kremlin figures channels claim the blast, which rocked Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, was caused by a ODAB-9000 thermobaric or fuel-air explosive, also known as “The Father of All Bombs”.
The brief clip was shared on Telegram by so-called “Z-channels” supportive of ‘s invasion, and shows a massive explosion shaking the city’s already derelict blocks, followed by a large mushroom cloud which expands skyward.
Dr Yuri Baranchik, Deputy Director of the RUSSTRAT Institute wrote: “In Volchansk, the army used the ODAB-1500 vacuum bomb for the first time – according to other sources, the ODAB-9000.
The state is yet to comment on whether the ODAB-9000 was used, though Colonel Vitalii Sarantsev, a spokesperson for ‘s Kharkiv Operational and Tactical Group rejected the idea.
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Ukraine has rejected the idea that an ODAB-9000 was used. (Image: Telegram)
He said it was likely the footage showed forces using a less powerful munition, and it had been exaggerated by Moscow loyalists to damage the morale of and intimidate civilians.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) previously said has been using thermobaric weapons in , but it’s thought to be unlikely that Moscow would risk deploying the The ODAB-9000.
The weapon is an experimental munition and is designed to be dropped directly over a target by strategic bombers, and take out entrenched infantry and fortifications over a wide area.
The dynamics of modern warfare make this difficult to do and virtually impossible in given Kyiv’s surface-to-air missle capability, Ukrainian outlet reports.
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Operations of this kind would almost guarantee the loss of the prized aircraft and none of jets up to the job, such as the Tu-160, Tu-95 or Tu-22M3, have been recorded in the area in recent days, as per .
Military bloggers or “Milbloggers” as they’re known, have thrown out various theories what exactly the blast was. Some suggested the less powerful ODAB-1500 thermobaric bomb may have been used, while others speculated that the blast was akin to that of FAB-3000 aerial bombs, or the less powerful version – the FAB-1500 version.
Thermobaric weapons, also known as vacuum bombs, are high-powered explosives that release a fuel mixture which is then ignited to create a fearsomely destructive, high-temperature explosion. They’re among the most devastating non-nuclear weapons ever developed.
Both the US and what was then the Soviet Union began developing thermobaric weapons in the 60s. detonated the biggest thermobaric weapon ever made in 2007, though as far as we know it as never been used in combat.