Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs shortly after withdrawing troops from Snake Island in the Black Sea. This is a new controversy in Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reports say that Russia has used the banned white phosphorus chemical weapon. There were reports that Russia had used phosphorus bombs before.
Two Russian Su-30 fighter jets dropping phosphorus bombs flew over the island, said Valery Salushny, commander in chief of Ukraine’s military. “Today at approximately 18:00… Su-30 aircraft of the Russian Air Force attacked the island twice with phosphorus bombs,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.
Video footage accompanying Ukraine’s statement shows aircraft dropping bombs on the island at least twice, followed by white smoke. Phosphorus weapons are incendiary weapons that leave white smoke in the sky. Their use against civilians is prohibited by international treaty, but permitted for military purposes.
Ukraine has been accused of using phosphorus bombs several times since Russia invaded, including in civilian areas, in late February. But Moscow denied the allegations. Ukraine claimed Russian troops were forced to withdraw from the island due to heavy artillery and missile fire.
According to Denisova, the use of white phosphorus in populated areas is illegal under the Rome Convention and constitutes a war crime. Some prominent figures and officials of Ukraine posted the pictures and videos on Facebook and Twitter with captions.
As the name suggests, phosphorus is the main component of this weapon. Once ignited, it can burn at a high temperature of over eight hundred degrees. White phosphorus can cause hundreds of square kilometers to burn. Chemicals such as phosphorus pentoxide can form as a by-product. This can result in very painful death and serious injuries.
White phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon by the International Chemical Weapons Convention. Their main purpose is to create a cloud of smoke to shield the ground forces below from air strikes. The Geneva Convention also prohibits their use in populated areas.
White Phosphorus is known among soldiers by the nickname WilliPeter. White phosphorus grenades were first introduced by the British Army in 1916 during the First World War. US and Japanese forces also used it during this period. White phosphorus was used by the Allies against Nazi forces during World War II. The Nazis called them burning onions.
They were later used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. In Vietnam, the US military had a practice of burning it in underground tunnels used by Vietcong guerrillas to extract oxygen. It was used in two wars in Russia and Chechnya. Initially, there were reports that this weapon was used in the war conducted by the US in Iraq, but the US forces denied this. But later they confirmed this.
English Summary: Ukraine says Russia dropped phosphorus bombs on Snake Island