Ukraine Claims Russia Is Using Vacuum Bomb: But what is it?
Ukraine's ambassador to the United States,Oksana Markarova, have accused Russia of using cluster bombs and vacuum bombs on Ukrainians.
Amnesty International said international humanitarian law prohibits the use of inherently indiscriminate weapons such as cluster munitions or vacuum bombs.
A vacuum bomb, or thermobaric weapon, sucks in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration.
Also known as an aerosol bomb, it is a two-stage munition with the first charge distributing aerosols made up of very fine material from a carbon-based fuel to tiny metal particles.
The second charge ignites that cloud creating a shock wave sucking up the oxygen and making a vacuum around its target.
Experts have cautioned that the blast wave of a vacuum bomb lasts significantly longer than traditional explosives.