Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Abigail O'Leary

Huge 500kg 'FAB' Russian bomb leaves giant crater near Ukraine homes

A huge 500kg bomb left a giant crater near homes in Ukraine's second largest city.

The high-explosive bomb, named an FAB-500, fell near a residential area of Kharkiv.

According to Russian agency Rosoboronexport, the device is a "powerful air bomb for guaranteed destruction of ground targets.

The agency states it is "designed and effective for the destruction of military - industrial facilities, railway junctions, lightly armoured and vulnerable equipment, manpower and military field facilities."

It comes after claims Vladimir Putin has used a deadly vacuum bomb as part of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said on Monday the Kremlin had used the devastating bomb - which is banned by the Geneva convention - during air strikes.

A view of damaged regional police station building after a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"They used the vacuum bomb today, which is actually prohibited by the Geneva convention," Markarova said after briefing members of the U.S. Congress.

"The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large."

Western officials feared Moscow would begin using such weapons - dubbed the 'father of all bombs' - if their assault on the former fellow Soviet country faltered.

The high-power thermobaric weapons vaporise bodies and crush internal organs.

They use the atmosphere itself as part of the explosion and are among the most powerful non-nuclear weapons ever developed.

Damage is pictured after shelling by Russian troops of central Kharkiv (Future Publishing via Getty Imag)

Such weapons were developed by both the US and the Soviet Union in the 1960s.

In September 2007, Russia detonated the largest one ever made - making it a point of concern for Western forces.

An unnamed official previously told the Daily Star : "My fear would be that if they don't meet their timescale and objectives they would be indiscriminate in their use of violence.

"They don’t adhere to the same principles of necessity and proportionality and rule of law that Western forces do."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.