thermobaric weapons, a new instrument of Russian military propaganda

For a second, in a bewildering din, huge mushrooms of fire sow death and desolation. feared by Ukrainian forces, the TOS-1A Solntsepek (“sunshine” in French) systems are considered in Moscow to be the most powerful non-nuclear weapons in the country. Almost five months after the first testimonies about them, they are still used in Ukraine, as franceinfo found from video documents.

At the end of June, Moscow for the first time recognized their use in the conflict. The Russian Ministry of Defense then broadcast a video with Hollywood accents*, in order to ensure the promotion of an armament in the face of which it is impossible “to take shelter”. This system consisting of a chassis and a launcher had been presented from every angle, like a state-of-the-art sedan. With overlays of images of strikes filmed by drones.

The principle is formidable. The first load of these 220 mm missiles “vaporizes a highly flammable gas”, explains to franceinfo Stéphane Audrand, consultant specializing in armaments. A millisecond later, a second charge ignites the thermobaric mixture. The temperature can then reach 3,000 degrees and the ambient oxygen is consumed “in a fraction of a second”which leads to “a phenomenon of colossal overpressure”. The air is first sucked in, creating a vacuum effect (negative pressure), before being released in a breath of fire that penetrates everywhere (positive pressure).

“There’s no protection. The overpressure seeps into every nook and cranny and cooks enemies in a pressure cooker. It’s horrible.”

Stéphane Audrand, consultant specializing in military armament

at franceinfo

These weapons are sometimes incorrectly referred to as “vacuum bombs”. Yet their “lethal effect is not simply due to the lack of oxygen caused but to the pulmonary barotrauma” caused by the pressure differential, explains the specialized journal Defense Technology (in English). This cocktail of fire and shock waves leaves the targeted troops no chance, even when they are entrenched in shelters.

The video from the Russian Ministry of Defense did not surprise many people, because the use of TOS-1As has been known for a long time. The Zvezda television channel, which depends on the Ministry of Defence, had already mentioned, at the beginning of March*, the feats of arms of a Russian sergeant, author “from an accurate shot of TOS-1A” in the Chernihiv region, north of kyiv. A fortnight later, the press service of the Donetsk militiamen had produced a long video* to demonstrate its striking power. At the end of April, the pro-Kremlin Anna agency had also broadcast a report* as close as possible to these weapons.

What are these weapons used for? To understand this, franceinfo collected several video documents, and was able to establish geographical correspondences for around twenty images: in the Kharkhiv region (North-East), near Kherson (South), and especially on the Donbass front. (East).

At the end of June and beginning of July, for example, several pro-Russian accounts claimed that the TOS-1As had been mobilized during the offensive carried out in the Luhansk region, in order to take control of the city of Lysychansk. The targets were located on the southern axis of this key city, finally lost on July 3 by Ukraine.

The technique is rudimentary: “When the Russian army stumbles somewhere, it shavescomments Stéphane Audrand. This is effective in neutralizing enemy infantry in a limited space.” Russia “provides thethe use of TOS-1A by ground troops, within the framework of mechanized maneuvers to accompany the infantry”continues the weapons specialist.