The Russian Defense Ministry claims it used thermobaric missiles in its deadly attack on Ukraine, the United Kingdom said on Wednesday.
Moscow “confirmed the use of the TOS-1A weapon system in Ukraine,” the statement said. This was announced by the British Ministry of Defense on Twitter..
The UK accompanied this statement with a video of a Soviet-era weapon that fires missiles from the hull of a tank, sucking in ambient oxygen, creating higher temperatures and more destructive explosions that last longer than conventional explosions.
“The impact of TOS-1A is devastating,” the Defense Ministry video says. “It can destroy infrastructure and cause significant damage to internal organs and sudden burns, leading to the death of victims.”
However, the US military has so far found “no sign” of the use of thermobaric weapons, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
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Under international law of armed conflict, thermobaric weapons are not illegal, but they cannot be used against military targets if their launch would also cause harm to civilians.
Footage of the Kremlin invasion, now two weeks old, shows TOS-1A weapons deployed in Ukraine.
“We have seen videos of Russian troops moving extremely lethal weapons into Ukraine that have no place on the battlefield,” said United States Representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
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Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova made similar statements to American lawmakers.
The Russian confirmation came after US officials and lawmakers warned that Moscow was ramping up violence in Ukraine, with hundreds of civilians, including children, killed in the attacks.
Russia has been criticized for targeting civilian infrastructure, including communications networks, schools and hospitals.