Ukraine sky burns with flesh-eating thermite rain

Horrifying footage has emerged of a village lit up by a deadly chemical fire, as Russia’s retreat revealed mass graves of “tortured” civilians. Warning: Graphic.

Russia is alleged to have deployed brutal thermite bombs on civilians in eastern Ukraine in a shocking new video.

The drone footage of the night sky above Ozerne in the Donetsk region shows the chemical mixture twinkling as it rains down over houses and lawns.

The village was recently recaptured by Ukraine on September 4 in its counteroffensive in the east.

Ukraine MP Roman Hryshchuk posted the footage to Twitter amid reports Vladimir Putin was planning to hold a “referendum” of the region’s population on whether to join Russia.

Thermite bomb rains down on Ozerne in the Donetsk region.

“This is horrible,” Mr Hryshchuk said.

The 12-second footage shows the killer chemical mixture sparkling as it arcs over the village. Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence later identified the munitions as Russian 9М22С incendiary shells.

Ukrainian Military Centre alleges Russian troops launch the 9M22S incendiary munition that carries the 9H510 warhead – formed of 180 incendiary combat elements, including thermite.

Ozerne village, Donetsk region. Ukraine.

This is horrible. pic.twitter.com/RbX9AF3SeG

— Roman Hryshchuk (@grishchukroma) September 20, 2022

The mixture of metal powder and metal oxide can burn at temperatures of more than 2400C to burn through steel and concrete. The temperatures are so hot it melts through flesh to the bone.

It comes amid the alleged discovery of mass graves of more than 440 Ukrainian men, women and children in the forest near Izyum after Ukraine troops liberated the area in its counteroffensive.

Forensic technicians carry a bodybag at the site of a mass grave in a forest on the outskirts of Izyum. Picture: AFP

“Bodies of civilians with traces of violent death and torture,” Mr Hryshchuk said alongside a video of the discovery.

russian army (read: terrorists) left behind more than 400 graves of Ukrainians in the forest near Izyum.

Bodies of civilians with traces of violent death and torture.

Never forget.

russia is a terrorist state pic.twitter.com/OslvMIJZX6

— Roman Hryshchuk (@grishchukroma) September 16, 2022

While Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has denounced the Kremlin’s forces as “murderers” and “torturers”, Moscow has dismissed claims of war crimes as “lies”.

Vladimir Putin praised the country’s weapons deployed in Ukraine as “highly efficient”.

“First of all, this applies to aviation, high-precision long-range missiles, aviation weapons, rockets and artillery, armoured weapons and so on,” he said at a meeting with representatives of the defence industry, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.

This equipment “allows destruction of the enemy’s military infrastructure, command posts, equipment, striking the locations of nationalist formations, while minimising losses among the personnel,” Mr Putin added.

Originally published as Ukraine sky burns with flesh-eating thermite rain