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Russia used the potent vacuum bomb during its invasion of Ukraine, Oksana Markarova, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, told reporters on Monday night after a meeting with U.S. lawmakers.
A vacuum bomb, also called a thermobaric weapon, works by taking in oxygen to create powerful, high-temperature explosions. If used in a civilian setting, such an attack could constitute a war crime.
“They used the vacuum bomb today,” Markarova said.
The bomb destroyed a Ukrainian army base in the northeastern town of Okhtyrka, killing 70 soldiers, Sumy region administrative chief Dmytro Zhyvytskyy said on his Telegram channel. Images from the scene showed the middle third of the main building gutted by the blast.
Okhtyrka Mayor Pavel Kuzmenko described the weapon used in the attack as a vacuum bomb.