Russia has possibly used flesh-melting thermite bombs in the recent strike on a Ukrainian city, according to a report. Videos uploaded on the internet show sky over Marinka being lit up as a burning thermite bomb rain.
The thermite bomb is a kind of chemical mixture that is made of metal powder and metal oxide and is used in the making of incendiary bombs.
It burns at temperatures of more than 2,400C - being so hot it can burn through steel and concrete. And if it comes into contact with human flesh, it can melt through right down to the bone, according to The Sun.
Deadly Weapon Can Cause Extremely Painful Burns
The deadly weapon can lead to respiratory problems and experts warned that it can also cause extremely painful burns on the human skin.
The bomb is seen as extremely dangerous as it cannot be contained on the battlefield due to its wide area of the range.
Scariest Footage of Thermite Shelling
Sharing the video clip of the thermite bomb raining down on the Ukrainian town, Ukrainian journalists described it as the "scariest footage of thermite shelling".
"Not sure when exactly this clip was taken, but this is easily the scariest footage of Thermite shelling I've ever seen. Appears to be from the #Marinka area," wrote the Twitter user @IntelBomb after posting the clip of the incident.
The weapons were previously used in the Second World War, however, their use as an incendiary weapons is a war crime nowadays. The United Nations in its third protocol of the 1980 UN Convention on Conventional Weapons in Geneva banned the use of Thermite bombs.
Russia Also Used White Phosphorus
In March, Russia was also accused of using white phosphorus -- a wax-like chemical substance that can burn through metal and can devastate human flesh -- in the city of Kramatorsk against the civilian population in Ukraine.
The white phosphorus, often yellowish or colorless and smells like garlic, ignites instantly when it comes into contact with oxygen.
The primary function of elements in weaponry is to burn fast and bright. It is used by militaries worldwide in incendiary munitions including the Western countries and even the US with an aim to illuminate targets as part of tracer munitions at night.
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