Did Russia drop its largest non-nuclear bomb over Ukraine?

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the fear of conflict escalation has been ever present. Now Russia has used a weapon that some consider to be a game changer.

Newsweek reports what Russia has detonated in Ukraine, what has been described by pro-Kremlin outlets as one of the most potent non-nuclear weapons in the world.

The three-ton glide bomb, called the ODAB-9000, has been described as a “vacuum bomb” and nicknamed “The father of all bombs”.

According to WION News, this ‘vacuum bomb’ has an explosive power equivalent to 44,000 kilograms of TNT.

The bomb, WION explains, belongs to the “thermobaric” category, meaning that it uses oxygen from the air to generate a wave of blasts. This is why it’s called a “vacuum bomb”.

The ODAB-9000 was allegedly dropped over the town of Vovchansk, in the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.

Kharkiv has been one of the most important battlefronts between the troops of Kyiv and Moscow, with Ukraine reportedly making big gains against the invading forces.

According to Newsweek, The International Review of the Red Cross argues that using thermobaric weapons such as a vacuum bomb in a built-up civilian area such as Vovchansk could count as a war crime.

Local military personnel in the Kharkiv region denied that a vacuum bomb had been used in the town of Vovchansk, arguing that such a device required to be dropped from a TU-160 strategic bomber, and none had been reported at that time and place.

Ukrainian ground forces argue that a smaller device was used in Vovchansk that was subsequently exploited and exaggerated by Russian propagandists.

Still, the fear of escalation between Russia and Ukraine, and their respective international allies, is very real. The use of bigger weapons can only spell out bigger problems for everyone involved.

Never miss a story! Click here to follow The Daily Digest.