Russia used a powerful vacuum bomb during its invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told reporters on Monday night after a meeting with US lawmakers.
A vacuum bomb, also known as a thermobaric weapon, generates powerful, high-temperature explosions by sucking in oxygen. Such an attack could be considered a war crime if used in a civilian setting.
According to Sumy region administrative chief Dmytro Zhyvytskyy’s Telegram channel, the bomb destroyed a Ukrainian army base in the northeastern town of Okhtyrka, killing 70 soldiers. Images from the scene showed the blast destroying the middle third of a main building.
Okhtyrka Mayor Pavel Kuzmenko described the attack’s weapon as a vacuum bomb.
Eyewitness video of the explosion, which occurred at 5:32 p.m. on Monday, was widely circulated in Ukrainian media.
The White House in Washington stated that the incidents had not been independently verified.
“I don’t have any confirmation of that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “We’ve read the reports. If that were true, it could be considered a war crime.”
