Furious Putin prepares to use 'father of all bombs' as brave Ukrainians hold up advance: West warns Russia could use terror weapon that vaporizes bodies alongside a massive Amphibious assault as invaders run into fierce resistance in Kyiv
Brave civilian pictured trying to block Russian military convoy, reminiscent of Tiananmen Square's 'tank man'
- Came as Putin's forces bared down on capital Kyiv, with troops and citizens braced for street-to-street battle
- Russians thought to be trying to take an airport, allowing them to fly in reinforcements for an all-out assault
- It came as they suffered heavy casualties elsewhere in the country, though did capture key bridge in Kherson
- Putin called on the Ukrainian military to turn on their 'drug-addict' leaders, but there seemed little sign of that as civilians lined up to collect rifles and help defend the capital
Russia could use savage superweapons that vaporize bodies and crush internal organs if their assault of Ukraine becomes bogged down, Western officials warned tonight.
They fear Vladimir Putin could resort to high-power thermobaric weapons - dubbed the 'father of all bombs' - as brave Ukrainians resist his attempts to take control of Kyiv.
There are also concerns that units that are running behind schedule as they encounter stiff opposition could resort to indiscriminate shelling as a terror weapon.
Thermobaric weapons - also known as vacuum bombs - are high-powered explosive that use the atmosphere itself as part of the explosion. They are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed.
A thermobaric bomb dropped by the US on Taliban in Afghanistan in 2017 weighed 21,600 pounds and left a crater more than 300 meters (1,000 feet) wide after it exploded six feet above the ground.
Thermobaric weapons were developed by both the U.S. and the Soviet Union in the 1960s. In September 2007, Russia detonated the largest thermobaric weapon ever made, which created an explosion equivalent to 39.9 tons.
The U.S. version of the weapon reportedly costs over $16 million each.
'My fear would be that if they don't meet their timescale and objectives they would be indiscriminate in their use of violence,' the official said. 'They don’t adhere to the same principles of necessity and proportionality and rule of law that Western forces do.'
The bomb works by using oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, making it far deadlier than a conventional weapon.
While Russian special forces have reached the suburbs of Kyiv, the bulk of Russia's heavy armour is believed to be still more than 50km away from the capital.
Western officials have suggested Russia will kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his ministers if they seize Kyiv.
FULL ARTICLE AT:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10552743/Furious-Putin-prepares-use-father-bombs-brave-Ukrainians-hold-advance.html
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