They are cruel weapons: phosphorus bombs. Apparently, Putin’s army used them again, this time in Mariupol. Phosphorus bombs can be used for military tactical reasons. However, when they hit people, the explosive devices have a devastating effect.

The Azov steelworks in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol has been the subject of fierce fighting for weeks. A few hundred Ukrainian fighters and probably a few civilians are still in the factory. The Russian army repeatedly attacks the complex. But despite their constant furious attacks, Putin’s soldiers have not yet succeeded in capturing the steelworks.

Apparently the Russian aggressors are now resorting to perfidious means in their desperation. According to Ukrainian sources, Russia fired phosphorus bombs at the Azov steelworks. “Hell has come to earth. To Azovstal,” Mariupol city council deputy Petro Andryushchenko wrote on Sunday in the Telegram news channel. Videos circulating on social media show projectiles exploding over the steelworks and small fireballs raining down on the ground. It almost looks like fireworks. However, a highly dangerous one if one believes Andryushchenko’s statements, which cannot be independently verified.

One thing is clear: it would probably not be the first time that Russia has used phosphorus bombs in this war. When reporting on these explosive devices, it is not for nothing that terms such as “horror weapon” and “dangerous instrument” appear.

Phosphorus bombs contain a mixture of white phosphorus and rubber, which ignites when it comes into contact with the oxygen in the air. A flame of up to 1300 degrees Celsius is created, accompanied by dense, white smoke.

Phosphorus bombs can be used for military tactical reasons – for example, to cover up troop movements. However, when they hit people, the explosive devices have a devastating effect. Fire started by phosphorus bombs cannot be extinguished with water – it flares up again just a few seconds after it has been “poured off”. The fire can only be smothered by means such as sand.

Particularly cruel: the mixture of white phosphorus and rubber contained in the bombs sticks to the skin of the victims. If they frantically try to wipe the substance off, it will only spread it further. This can result in third-degree burns: the epidermis and dermis are then completely destroyed and sometimes turn brownish to whitish. Some phosphorus bomb victims are burned to the bone.

In addition, the phosphorus particles contained in the bombs are highly toxic to humans. The US authority “Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry” (ATSDR) warns of liver, heart and kidney damage. Usually, however, it does not stop with the mere damage.

Many sufferers who inhale the fumes produced by phosphorus bombs die from it. Those who survive usually have to struggle with severe impairments for the rest of their lives.

According to a report by the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), “Victims who survive their first injuries may suffer from intense pain, serious infections, organ failure and a poor immune system for a long time to come.” psychological trauma and the “inability to integrate into society” is mentioned.

So it is hardly surprising that the use of phosphorus bombs against civilians has been banned since 1977 under the additional protocols of the Geneva Convention. However, some states such as the USA or Israel have not signed the agreement. In recent years and decades, they have used explosive devices, for example in the Iraq or Vietnam wars.

Always informed: The course of the war in Ukraine in the ticker – Russia throws phosphorus bombs on the Azov steelworks – they should have ESC inscriptions

It is controversial whether phosphorus bombs should be classified as chemical weapons because of their toxic effects. Then their use would violate the Chemical Weapons Convention. As early as March, Russian forces are said to have attacked the village of Popasna with phosphorus bombs.

At least that’s what Oleksiy Bilochytsky, the local police chief, claimed in a Facebook post. In the post, he reported “indescribable suffering and fires.”

Whether what Bilotschyzky writes is true cannot be independently verified. But there were also pictures and videos back then that showed traces of light in the night sky. Tracers of the kind left by phosphorus bombs. Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Liudmila Denisova wrote in a statement: “Bombing civilian targets with these weapons is a war crime and a crime against humanity.”