Russia accused of launching phosphorus bomb attacks

Russia has been accused of using banned phosphorus munitions during its invasion of Ukraine.

The country’s human rights ombudswoman claimed that Russia used the weapon during an overnight attack on the town of Popasna in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region.

Phosphorus is not considered a chemical weapon, but it is banned from use against human targets under international law.

Liudmila Denisova, the ombudswoman, shared a photograph purporting to show the alleged attack but did not provide concrete evidence.

"The bombing of a civilian city by the Russian attackers with these weapons is a war crime and a crime against humanity according to the Rome convention," she said in an online statement.

Her claims have not yet been verified.

Phosphorus is a chemical that ignites when exposed to air, burning at more than 2,700 degrees celsius.

Similar to the napalm used in the Vietnam war it self-oxidizes. This means it is almost impossible to put out once it touches the skin, leading to extreme injuries and sometimes death.

The legal consensus around phosphorus is murky given that it can be used in some circumstances, including to light a battlefield at night or provide a tactical smoke screen.

However, if used against people it can be classified as a war crime under the United Nations’ Geneva Conventions.

'War criminals'

Serhiy Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, called Russian troops "war criminals" in a post on Facebook.

"It's what the Nazis called a 'flaming onion' and that's what the Russcists [a combination of 'Russians' and 'fascists'] are dropping on our towns. Indescribable suffering and fires," he said.

The Lugansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbas, have witnessed other tragedies as people attempt to flee the fighting, with two churches sheltering civilians hit on Sunday.

Moscow claims it will create humanitarian corridors for civilians across the country to escape fighting, but Ukraine has accused Russia of disrupting these paths and firing on civilians.

A child was among seven Ukrainian civilians who died when Russian forces shelled a convoy of refugees and forced them to turn back near Kyiv, according to Ukraine’s ministry of defence.

In eastern Ukraine, a train filled with civilians attempting to escape was fired upon on Sunday, killing a conductor and injuring one.

Numerous efforts to evacuate Mariupol's 430,000 people have also failed after convoys were hit by shelling.

The southern city has been encircled by Russian forces and cut off from supplies after over a week under siege. Ukrainian authorities are warning of a humanitarian crisis.