THIS is the moment a giant cache of Vladimir Putin’s thermobaric bombs was blown up in a huge explosion after an overnight Ukraine strike.
Incredible footage shows a huge fireworks-like inferno reaching high up in the sky after the precision attack.
The Ukrainian military destroyed a significant stockpile of thermobaric weapons found in a warehouse in the part of Donetsk under Russian control.
These powerful munitions can cause extensive casualties by either suffocating individuals with toxic chemicals or causing their lungs to implode.
Thermobaric munitions can produce more heat and overpressure than conventional bombs by exploding a vapour in the blast zone.
Following the detonation of these weapons, a lethal cloud forms with temperatures soaring to 3,000 degrees Celsius, having the capability to melt steel and concrete.
And if it comes into contact with human flesh, it can melt through right down to the bone.
Ukraine’s General Staff said in a statement: “On the night of February 28, the Defense Forces of Ukraine destroyed a thermobaric ammunition storage facility of the Russian invaders in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region, in the Selidove district.
“In addition, three more important facilities of the Russian invaders were damaged. In particular, the Ilsk Oil Refinery, which is involved in supplying the Russian occupation army.”
Releasing the bombs is not a breach of international law as long as civilians aren’t being targeted with them.
Russia has a chilling past with thermobaric bombs after they reportedly dropped one on a Ukrainian oil depot in 2022.
While the use of the weapon can be extremely dangerous, it is not banned by the International arms control organisations to use against enemy positions in active warzones.
Thermobaric weapons were originally developed by the Nazis in World War Two but first used by the US in Vietnam.
The initial bomb’s blast spreads highly volatile chemicals particles into the air before a destructive fireball sucks it back in along with the oxygen from the surrounding area.
Seconds later, an enormous explosion and a shockwave ring out – leaving victims suffocating and in some cases melting their skin.
ZELENSKY IN DC
The bombing comes as Volodymyr Zelensky reached Washington to meet Trump and sign a historic mineral deal.
The deal – said to be worth up to $ 500 billion – is seen as a way for Ukraine to get the US back on its side ahead of talks on ending the war with Russia.
It will be the first meeting between the pair since Trump’s “dictator” jibe which he has since shrugged off in a crucial meeting with Sir Keir Starmer on Thursday.
Brave Zelensky is expected to sign a preliminary agreement granting the US access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals later today.
The deal will establish an “investment fund” for Ukraine’s reconstruction, jointly managed by Kyiv and Washington.
It is also hoped to help pave the way for improved US-Ukraine relationships and help bring about a peace deal to stop Russia’s illegal invasion.
Zelensky says he will pressure Trump to help give Ukraine security guarantees to deter Russian aggression.
PEACE TALKS
The gruelling three-year war in Ukraine now seems to be edging closer to a peaceful ceasefire after last week’s historic peace talks between Russia and the US.
Moscow said the conversations “went well” as Washington labelled the crucial meeting “useful” – with both parties already reaching a number of landmark deals.
a team of top diplomats from Russia and the US spoke about negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, out in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The talks – which were quickly drawn up – represent the rapidly growing ties between the two nations under Donald Trump’s new leadership.
Present at the negotiating table were US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, all sitting down in Riyadh’s Diriyah Palace.
They were joined by outspoken Putin cronies, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushako.
Key takeawyas from US-Russia peace talks on Ukraine
- No new details on when Putin and Trump will meet
- Full embassy staffing agreed
- Both sides agree to create “high-level teams”
- Vlad will speak to Zelensky “if necessary”
- Proposal to hold fresh election before final peace deal
- Russia won’t allow Ukraine to join Nato
- No foreign troops would be sent to Ukraine
- Kremlin wants to end Western sanctions
- Zelensky postpones Saudi trip as he blasts unfair meeting
The meeting lasted for almost five hours with Moscow and Washington being joined by Saudi representatives who helped monitor the talks.
Following the peace talks, which mark the first time Russia and US delegates have met in person since the war broke out, both sides said they were hugely beneficial.
Close Putin aide, Yuri Ushakov, said the talks “went well” as he also revealed negotiators have been agreed to talk about the war in Ukraine from either side, IFAX reported.
Russia’s lead negotiator told reporters after the talks: “It was a very serious conversation on all the questions we wanted to touch upon.”
Secretary of State Rubio said the meeting showed him that the Kremlin is finally “willing to begin to engage in a serious process”.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce later said the two sides have agreed to appoint “respective high-level teams to begin working on a path to ending the conflict in Ukraine as soon as possible”.
