Apocalyptic footage shows Bakhmut streets on fire as Ukraine accuses Putin of using horror white phosphorous bombs | The Sun
RUSSIA has been accused of raining a fiery hell of phosphorous bombs down on besieged Bakhmut in a last bid to take the small city.
Apocalyptic-style drone footage released by the Ukrainian military appears to show the battered eastern Ukrainian city ablaze after allegedly being coated in the highly toxic chemical.
The use of phosphorous munitions in war is not illegal, however the use of the chemical in civilian areas is considered a war crime.
White phosphorous weapons cause high-spreading fires that are incredible difficult to extinguish and burn at 800C. It is pyrophoric, meaning it self-ignites and can burn clothing, skin, fuel and ammunition.
As Russia continues its bloody, but failed campaign to take the war-ravaged city in the Donetsk region, a few thousand brave residents still remain trapped within.
It is not yet clear exactly when the fiery attack took place, but the footage captured by a surveillance drone shows Bakhmut's streets and buildings immersed in violent flames.
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The sky is lit up by the blaze and white clouds permeate the air.
Ukraine's defence ministry said the recent attack had targeted "unoccupied areas of Bakhmut with incendiary ammunition".
The Ukrainian military command said Moscow's forces were continuing on their path to "destroy the city" and "trying to wipe the city off the face of the Earth," Pravda reported.
Russia already stands accused of using the deadly bombs on the battlefield before after footage emerged of phosphorous allegedly glowing in the sky above Kyiv and burning fiercely on the ground in the city of Kramatorsk.
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A BBC analysis of the footage released by Ukraine has located it to an area west of the city, close to a children's hospital.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia against using chemical weapons in Ukraine in late March.
"Any use of chemical weapons would totally change the nature of the conflict, it would be a blatant violation of international law and would have far-reaching consequences," he said.
For nine months, Ukraine has held on to the city for dear life and managed to stave off encirclement by a Russian onslaught backed by Wagner mercenaries.
No matter the human cost and despite the lack of strategic value, Putin has desperately been trying to break the stale-mate in a grinding war of attrition.
It emerged last week that Russia had suffered more than 100,000 casualties in the battle for Bakhmut in the last five months.
US intelligence estimates say 20,000 Russian troops have been killed and another 80,000 wounded trying to take the small city that's seen the fiercest fighting of the war so far.
The news of the alleged phosphorus attack comes only a day after Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, vowed to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut.
The warlord branded Putin defence chiefs “scum” who get fat in offices while leaving his mercenary troops to die without ammunition in a bold rebellion against the despot.
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Meanwhile, Ukraine claims to have shot down a hypersonic Russian "Dagger" missile for the first time since the war began.
The Ukrainian Air Force officially confirmed reports today that they used a US-made patriot air defence system to blast the Kinzhal – capable of carrying a nuclear warhead over 2,000km – out the sky.
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