This is the moment Putin's forces obliterate a Ukrainian town using thermobaric bombs.
Shocking footage shows entire multi-storey buildings in the town of Chasiv Yar being 'wiped off the face of the earth' alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to a Russian special forces Telegram channel.
The thermobaric bombs have pulverised the once tranquil Ukrainian town in Donetsk region. This 'Tosochka' is Putin's latest flamethrower weapon shooting fuel-air explosive warheads.
The bombs disperse an aerosol cloud of fuel which ignites, producing a massive explosion with a high-temperature blast wave.
Ukrainian soldiers in the area have said that despite the 'merciless' Russian tactics, Chasiv Yar is so far resisting, but they admitted that the relentless attacks are already disrupting troop rotations and the delivery of some supplies.
Shocking footage shows entire multi-storey buildings in the town of Chasiv Yar being 'wiped off the face of the earth' alongside Ukrainian soldiers, according to a Russian special forces Telegram channel
The thermobaric bombs have pulverised the once tranquil Ukrainian town in Donetsk region (pictured above: ruins of multi-storey buildings destroyed by the flamethrower bombs
The bombs disperse an aerosol cloud of fuel which ignites, producing a massive explosion with a high-temperature blast wave
Putin has been trying to gravitate the town - with a pre-war population of just 12,000 - for nearly three months.
The latest annihilation strategy using the flamethrower bombs appears to be an effort to step up the Russian leader's attempt to grab the settlement. Yet like most towns 'liberated' by the Russians, Chasiv Yav is reduced to little more than ruins.
Russian troops are seeking to press their advantage in troop numbers and weaponry before Ukrainian forces are bulked up by promised new Western military aid that is already trickling to the front line, analysts say.
The Kremlin's monthslong campaign to cripple Ukraine's electricity supply aims to sap public morale and deny energy to Ukraine's burgeoning arms industry.
Attacks on such civilian targets brought arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court on Tuesday for former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief of staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov for alleged war crimes.
Judges said there is evidence they 'intentionally caused great suffering or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health' of Ukrainian civilians.
This 'Tosochka' (circled before it hits the multi-storey buildings) is Putin's latest flamethrower weapon shooting fuel-air explosive warheads
The thermobaric bombs are launched by a system like the one pictured above
For Ukrainian soldiers defending the eastern Donetsk region, the Russian ground assaults and aerial barrages allow little respite after more than two years of war.
'We work, you could say, without rest,' said a platoon commander who, in line with his brigade's rules, identified himself only by his first name, Oleksandr.
'So no two days are alike. You always need to be ready to work day and night,' he said.
His platoon is part of Ukraine's 43rd Artillery Brigade. It dashes to positions and without delay fires a Soviet-era Pion self-propelled howitzer at Russian positions before it can be targeted itself.
Holding Chasiv Yar is crucial. The town, highly sought-after due to its strategic location and elevated position but now largely in ruins, lies to the west of neighboring Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia last year after a 10-month battle.
