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Russia is said to have detonated phosphorus bombs in Bakhmut. Ukraine would have no scruples either. This weapon is considered particularly cruel.
At first it was just one bad suspicion. In the meantime, however, everything indicates that Russia is at war with Ukraine Phosphorbomben uses, a true horror weapon.
Reporters from the AFP news agency are now observing how close Bachmut Two missiles were fired in an uninhabited area and explosions released small glowing phosphorus balls that fell slowly and set fire to vegetation on both sides of the road. also read: Is the battle for Bachmut pointless, Professor Masala?
They’re not the first testimonies of this kind. Already at the beginning of the Ukraine war phosphorus bombs are said to have been used in the storming of the island of snakes; again in the attack on Mariupol. At that time, videos could be seen on social networks. In addition, Ukraine published a wiretapped phone call from a Russian soldier: “Phosphorus bombs, cluster munitions – they have allowed us to use everything that is forbidden”.
Ukraine War: Use of phosphorus bombs against civilians banned
They are absolutely forbidden only when used against civilians, or when the attacker is such a so-called collateral damage accepts with approval. So they are not forbidden in battle. And legally it makes a difference whether they are used in inhabited or uninhabited areas.
It is also true that other states have used them in the past: Turkey, Israel, the USA. The Israelis have the appropriate ones additional protocols from 1977 to Geneva Convention of 1949 not even signed and the Americans only in 2009.
The Ukrainians would have no scruples about using them as well. Morality doesn’t stop them. You just lack these weapons. On the Munich Security Conference they were part of the wish list presented there by Deputy Prime Minister Olexander Kubrakov. Like Russia, his country also wants to use this “type of ordnance”. “It’s our territory.”
He understands the difficulties because of conventions, but this type of ammunition can help to withstand the attackers. The West refused. It is pure speculation, but not unreasonable, that they are in Bachmut under a false flag were used. In any case, the Ukraine had a motive for this: to change the West’s mind. Read here: Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?
Phosphorus weapons create smoke screens. US Army lawyer Matthew J. Aiesi writes on the military blog Lawfare in this way. They are also used to set targets for night time air or artillery strikes to enlighten.
However, phosphorus weapons are not only used for military tactical reasons. Sometimes they hit civilians – where they can cause severe damage. This is due to their composition: the organization “International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War” (IPPNW) explains that phosphorus bombs are incendiary bombs, the main component of which is a mixture of white phosphorus and rubber is.
Phosphorus particles cause severe damage in the body
The white phosphorus burns at temperatures above the 1000 Degrees Celsius. Resulting fires cannot be extinguished with water. You can extinguish the flames, but the mixture flares up again after a few seconds. In order to extinguish a fire caused by phosphorus, the flames must be smothered with sand.
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The rubber contained in the bombs also causes serious injuries. The burning Phosphorus rubber mixture adheres to skin contact and spreads over the body.
It can Second and third degree burns that eat their way through the body to the bone. In addition, the phosphorus particles are absorbed by the body. They are highly toxic and can cause liver, heart and kidney damage, warns the US agency “Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry” (ATSDR).
But the actual purpose of phosphorus bombs is also extremely dangerous. According to the ATSDR, inhalation of smoke from phosphorus explosions can irritate eyes as well as the damage airways. In higher concentrations, white phosphorus can cause severe burns in the respiratory tract, which in the worst case can lead to death.
Terrible disfigurement and persistent severe pain
Another point that makes the bombs so cruel: the victims of a phosphorus attack are also badly affected long after the attack, as are the NGOs “Human Rights Watch” (HRW) in one Message writes: “Victims who survive their first injuries can suffer from intense pain, serious infections, organ failure and a poor immune system for a long time to come.” And further: “You can also be disfigured and be marked for life with severe disabilities, psychological trauma and the inability to integrate into society.”
Despite all this, phosphorus bombs are not subject to the Chemical Weapons Convention. According to Erik Tollefsen, head of the Ordnance Disposal Unit of the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of the reasons for this is that the international rules of warfare were made by the diplomatic representatives of the armies. That’s why many of these rules place the achievement of military goals above the protection of civil society, Tollefsen explains to the US magazine Newsweek. Also interesting: Ukraine War: This is how Commander Scholz experienced the front
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