On several occasions since the beginning of the conflict, Russia has used bombs of a particularly devastating type once morest Ukraine. So-called “thermite” bombs, which Moscow used in particular on the city of Vuhledar. In videos of the fighting relayed on social networks, we can see the mining town of Donetsk Oblast (in the east) bombarded by a rain of fire.
If it looks like fireworks, the scenes are actually terrifying since these incendiary bombs are very destructive. Made of powder mixed with metal oxide, the missiles burn instead of explode, reaching a temperature of over 2,400 degrees. They are therefore able to penetrate steel and completely burn a human body.
Shells are usually fired from the ground, from rocket launchers, and target large areas rather than precise targets. This makes it one of the most cruel weapons in the Russian arsenal, it can cause “immediate and lifelong human suffering”, according to Human Rights Watch.
For several weeks now, the bulk of the fighting has been taking place in Bakhmout where Russian forces, which have recently suffered heavy losses, are on their way to controlling the city. But Russia regularly bombs other Ukrainian cities.
