2023-05-07 00:19:13
Ukraine: Russia uses white phosphorus bombs in eastern battleground Bahmut
BBC “Supposed incendiary bomb attack in the west of the city”
Suspicions have been raised that Russian forces used white phosphorus in the battleground Bahmut in eastern Ukraine.
On the 5th (local time), the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine posted a video on Twitter of the city in flames, claiming that Russia had used white phosphorus in the unoccupied area of Bahmut.
The British BBC, which analyzed the video, explained that the time of filming is unclear, but the location appears to be near a children’s hospital in the west of downtown Bahmut. It is believed to have been taken with a drone, and a high-rise building is also captured on video as it is set on fire.
The BBC also analyzed that a type of incendiary bomb was used in the attack, but added that it might not be specified whether or not white phosphorus was used.
In this regard, Ukrainian media TCH reported that Russian forces used white phosphorus in Bahmut for two consecutive days on the 5th and 6th.
Incendiary bombs are bullets intended to burn people, towns, jungles, and military facilities. Depending on the type of filler, it is divided into thermite incendiary and white phosphorus. Thermite incendiary bombs filled with thermite, a mixture of aluminum and iron oxide, reach temperatures of 2000 to 2500°C when burning. It is virtually impossible to put out the fire on the incendiary bomb.
In particular, white phosphorus, which is made from white phosphorus, an inflammable substance, is more difficult to digest. Because it continues to burn as long as oxygen is not exhausted, once combustion begins, it sticks to the human body and is not easily extinguished. Water is useless, and if you wrap and remove a bandage, it may catch fire once more. Contact with the body can cause severe burns that melt bones and flesh, leading to death. In addition, since the raw material itself is highly toxic, breathing only the air around the explosion of white phosphorus can cause fatal respiratory injuries.
Because of this terrifying killing power, it is also called ‘the devil’s weapon’. For the same reason, the range of use is limited only for smoke screens and lighting according to the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1980 UN Convention on the Prohibition of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW).
However, Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international human rights organization, points out that white phosphorus, which has been used since the early and mid-20th century, has been repeatedly used in the past 15 years. The same was true when US forces fought the extremist militant group Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria, HRW explained.
Russia also accused Ukraine of using white phosphorus on civilian facilities during the siege of Mariupol from the beginning of the war last year. On the other hand, Russia has always denied the use of white phosphorus, saying, “It has never violated international agreements.”
The BBC explained that although it is doubtful whether Bahmut, which was hit by an incendiary bomb, has strategic value, it is a fierce battleground that Russia has been trying to seize for months, and only Russian deaths are estimated at thousands.
News of the attack came the day following Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, a private Russian mercenary company, announced that it would withdraw from Bahmut on the 10th, citing a lack of support from the Russian Ministry of Defense, including a lack of ammunition.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian army believes that the Russian army is adding Wagner mercenaries, who were deployed on other fronts, to the Bahmut front to occupy Bahmut by the 9th, the ‘Victory Day’. It is suspected that it may be fake information to confuse the Ukrainian military.
As Ukraine announces a ‘great counterattack’, clouds of war hang over the eastern front.
The BBC cited Zaporizhia, which is 80% occupied by Russia, as a possible area for Ukraine’s attack. On the 5th, the Russian governor of Zaporizhzhya issued an evacuation order to villages near the frontline.
Reporter Kwon Yoon-hee
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