The Russian military has sparked outrage for reportedly deploying TOS-1A heavy flamethrower systems to Ukraine, which experts say could be used to carry out war crimes if used against civilian targets.
“The TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system is designed for providing fire support to infantry and tanks, defeating enemy manpower from open and closed firing positions in a variety of offensive and defensive combat, as well as disabling light armored vehicles and transport,” a fact sheet states about the weapon. “Combined target destruction is achieved through effects of high temperature and overpressure.”
The russian army has deployed the TOS-1 heavy flamethrower which shoots thermobaric rockets, the was South of Belgorod. pic.twitter.com/XCxMI3bNB3
— Frederik Pleitgen (@fpleitgenCNN) February 26, 2022
The paper states that the system is armed with “unguided artillery rockets with thermobaric warheads.” A CNN camera crew spotted the weapons system on Saturday afternoon near the Ukrainian city of Belgorod. The report said that there was not yet any evidence that thermobaric weapons had been used during the invasion.
According to Axios, Germany has for months come under intense criticism for its response to Russia’s aggression toward Ukraine. The government said its “historical responsibilities” prevented it from shipping arms to conflict zones, and had previously blocked other NATO allies from transferring German-origin weapons to Ukraine.
“The Russian attack marks a turning point. It is our duty to do our best to help Ukraine defend against the invading army of Putin. That’s why we’re supplying 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 stinger missiles to our friends in the Ukraine,” Scholz tweeted.
Germany will also lift its ban on other countries exporting German-origin weapons, allowing the Netherlands to transfer 400 rocket-propelled grenade launchers to Ukraine. Germany is the largest economy and most powerful country in the European Union, making its voice and policy positions critical to the effectiveness of the West’s response to Russia’s invasion.
Germany is highly reliant on Russian natural gas and had been an obstacle in discussions about imposing the harshest sanctions on Moscow, fearing the economic and energy reverberations.
