This is the dramatic moment Ukraine’s forces destroyed a rare TOS-1A thermobaric rocket launcher system, sending a visible shockwaves through the surrounding area.
Aerial footage from a drone shows a vast expanse of woodland in an unknown location in Ukraine.
Suddenly a large explosion engulfs the trees, sending black smoke billowing into the sky.
The explosion was triggered by the destruction of a thermobaric rocket, also called “vacuum bomb” – a devastating weapon Russia has used in the country since the start of the invasion.
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Russia later confirmed it was using them against Kyiv’s forces.
Thermobaric weapons release a fuel mixture which is then ignited to create a fearsomely destructive, high-temperature explosion.
A first explosive charge opens the container and scatters the mixture as a cloud over a wide area.
A second then detonates the cloud, resulting in a rapidly-expanding fireball explosion and a massive blast wave, as well as a vacuum which sucks up all surrounding oxygen.
The devastating weapon can destroy reinforced buildings, equipment and kill human targets.
Defense and military technology expert David Hambling told Newsweek the TOS-1 causes an “extremely powerful shock wave which can shatter buildings”, which often helps identify whether it has been used on the battlefield.
TOS-1 and TOS-1A 220 mm artillery systems, which are and are mounted on main battle tank chassis, are able to fire between 24 and 30 thermobaric rockets.
Hambling said the weapons are a “high-priority item” for the Russian military, and prove “highly effective” against dug-in troops.
The weapons would usually be used tanks or infantry out in the open and Putin’s forces only have a “small number” of them, Hambling stressed.
There are currently no international laws specifically banning their use, but if a country uses such weapons to strike civilian populations in built-up areas, schools or hospitals, then it could face being convicted of a war crime under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan has said his court will look into possible war crimes in Ukraine.
