Amid the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, a video of a bomb blast is widely shared on social media claiming that Russia testing vacuum bombs. Thermobaric weapons, often known as vacuum bombs, are considered more controversial because they are far more potent than the majority of conventional weapons of comparable size and have a horrible effect on anyone caught in their explosion radius. According to reports, the Ukrainian government and human rights organisations have accused Russia of employing thermobaric weapons there.
The video is shared on Facebook with a caption: “Russia tests ODAB-500 vacuum bombs”
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim, and found it to be MISLEADING.
Performing a Reverse Image Search, we found a YouTube page carrying the same viral video, dated December 12, 2019, with a caption: “Video of a spectacular explosion ODAB 500P in Syria (unknown device) appeared on the network.” Thus, it is evident that the video cannot be related to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war as it started in February 2022.
Several Facebook users have also carried the same video in 2019 with similar captions. “#Lebanon #Beirut #Explosion looks same as Russian Made ODAB-500 thermobaric bomb drop in #Syria Dec 2019,” reads one caption.
We also found several media articles discussing the employment of thermobaric weapons produced in Russia in the civil conflict in Syria. The thermobaric weapon is one of the 12 deadliest conventional weapons deployed in the Syrian war, according to a report released in 2013 by the British organisation, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV).
Though we could not ascertain the exact location and time of the viral video, it is evident that it has been on the Internet since 2019, and cannot be related to Ukraine-Russia war.
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