Russia's alleged 'vacuum bomb' use in Ukraine highlights weapons race with the US
ABC News
Russia used a thermobaric weapon in its invasion of Ukraine, British officials claimed. Here's what to know about the weapon.
Russia and the United States have both used thermobaric weapons in previous conflicts and have been in a decades-long race to refine the artillery, but Russia's alleged deployment of the so-called "vacuum bomb" on Ukrainian forces has prompted widespread backlash and fears that it will be used on civilians.
Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, was the first to publicly accuse Russia of launching a thermobaric weapon on Ukrainian forces, killing 70 soldiers.
A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said the United States has yet to corroborate Markarova's accusations. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense claimed the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed its forces' use of the weapon in Ukraine but did not provide details on when and where that occurred, or say how it verified the information.
"The Russian MoD has confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine. The TOS-1A uses thermobaric rockets, creating incendiary and blast effects," the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense said in a tweet that was accompanied by a video explaining the weapon's devastating capabilities.
