WAR CRIME

Bakhmut on fire: Russia uses phosphorus bombs en masse – SOF



Ukrainska Pravda
Fri, May 5, 2023 

On the evening of 5 May, Russian occupation forces used phosphorus and incendiary ammunition in the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: video of the Special Operations Forces and the press service of the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of Ukraine in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "The enemy used phosphorous and incendiary ammunition in Bakhmut, trying to wipe the city off the face of the Earth.

However, the soldiers of the SSO and other units of the Defence Forces continue to courageously defend the city. And in these conditions, we continue to destroy the enemy."

Background:

On 5 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), wrote a letter to the Russian Defence Ministry, stating that he will withdraw the Wagner PMC mercenaries from Bakhmut after 10 May.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are sceptical about the claim made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group. According to Ukrainian military personnel and intelligence, Russians will try to put pressure on the defenders of Bakhmut until 9 May.

Ukraine Situation Report: Russia Rains Incendiaries On Bakhmut

Howard Altman
Fri, May 5, 2023 

It appears that the Russians have launched a large incendiary weapons attack on the heavily embattled city in Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast.

Video shot from a drone has emerged showing the tell-tale droplets of brightly glowing incendiary munitions purportedly burning all over a portion of Bakhmut.

https://twitter.com/SOF_UKR/status/1654567844053483522?s=20

https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1654560109723537408?s=20

The video has been geolocated to Bakhmut by our friend Evergreen Intel.

Russian troops have previously used Grad incendiary rockets there in December and October.

https://twitter.com/Osinttechnical/status/1603896021813235719?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1603896021813235719%7Ctwgr%5E047edd2dc8c9d223b008d79e8b40c49208c799ee%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukraine-situation-report-assessing-the-possibility-of-a-new-russian-offensive-on-kyiv

 https://twitter.com/LogKa11/status/1581038130089848833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1581038130089848833%7Ctwgr%5E796fff5a5196b38cab6786055e97b94ba7617e32%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedrive.com%2Fthe-war-zone%2Fukraine-situation-report-noose-tightens-around-russian-occupied-kherson

The Russians may have also used these incendiary munitions against the defenders of the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol in May 2002 and in various other locations across the Ukrainian battlefield.

The Russians apparently used incendiary munitions against the defenders of Azovstal a year ago in Mariupol. (Twitter screencap)

By covering a wide area with very hot burning droplets, incendiaries lay waste to some structures, certain kinds of materiel, foliage, vehicles, and especially flesh.

Block-by-block fighting among the ruins of a once thriving coal-mining city has proved extremely costly to both sides. Russia increasingly the use of these horrific area weapons in Bakhmut would not come as a major surprise as their advance has stalled and a major Ukrainian counteroffensive looms.

We will keep an eye on this developing situation and update our story with any new information that comes in.

Before we head into the latest updates from Ukraine, The War Zone readers can catch up on our previous rolling coverage here.