Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Merrifield

Ukraine explosion: Terrifying video of huge blast near Kharkiv causing mushroom cloud

An enormous explosion in Ukraine's second city region has been captured in chilling video footage.

The blast, inflicted by the Russian military, is understood to have struck Chuguev airfield in the Kharkiv region.

In multiple clips of the incident shared on social media, a mammoth bright orange blast wave, which hangs in the air, is seen erupting over the night sky.

Shocked citizens - filming from apartment blocks - jump backwards as the dome wave pans out.

It comes after the Ukrainian ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova said yesterday the Kremlin had used the devastating bombs - banned by the Geneva Convention - during air strikes.

Follow the latest updates from Ukraine in our live blog

The blast produced a mushroom cloud (Twitter)
It is understood to have struck Chuguev airfield in the Kharkiv region (Twitter)

"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."

Thermobaric or vacuum explosives - dubbed the 'father of all bombs' - suck oxygen from the surrounding air to generate high-temperature explosions.

It is suspected the blast may have been a vacuum bomb (Twitter)
Civilians have shared clips of the explosion on social media (Twitter)

They can vaporise a human body and were first developed by the Soviet Union and the US in the 1960s.

Russia detonated the largest thermobaric weapon in 2007 which created an explosion equivalent to 39.9 tonnes.

Ten people were killed and 35 wounded in Kharkiv on Tuesday amid terrifying missile salvoes.

Stricken Ukrainian cities are being surrounded as Vladimir Putin ’s tanks and invasion forces tighten their steel noose, barraging civilians and troops with rockets.

Civilians cross a river on a blown up bridge on Kyivs northern front (AFP via Getty Images)

UK defence chiefs warned of an ever-increasingly more ruthless Russian assault on Ukraine’s civilians as its commanders became desperate to gain ground.

In another day of bloodshed, missiles hit Kyiv’s TV tower, killing five people and sending black smoke billowing over the capital’s centre- an attack branded “barbaric” by Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.

Kyiv citizens were ordered to leave or die as Russian forces prepared to launch “precision” strikes against the country’s domestic SBU intelligence agency in the heart of Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (via REUTERS)

But, despite the onslaught, defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government remains in control of the capital with its brave combined force of soldiers and civilians ready to fight street by street.

Embattled Ukrainian troops held on ferociously to every city throughout the country, helped by Molotov Cocktail-hurling civilians, armed with AK47 assault rifles and bottles of petrol.

But despite the amazing spirit and bravery of Ukraine, rising numbers of civilian deaths over the last two days were an ominous sign that frustrated Russian commanders are resorting to even more lethal tactics.

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.