Russian TOS-1 ‘Vacuum Artillery’ Eliminates Ukrainian Forces in Frontline Settlement: Pressure in Donbas Continues to Mount
Eastern Europe and Central Asia , Ground
Footage released from an unknown location on the frontlines between Russian-Ukrainian forces has shown the extensive use of TOS-1A 220 millimetre thermobaric artillery to devastate Ukrainian forces in cover, in what appears to be a small industrial settlement reported to be in the disputed Donbas regions. The attack was launched as Russia has intensified bombardment of Ukrainian positions, with the launch of over 400 drones and 77 cruise and ballistic missiles agains targets across multiple regions including Lviv, Ternopil and Rivne among others. These strikes are part of a gradual intensification of pressure on Ukrainian and supporting Western contractor forces on the frontlines, as after the securing of the Kursk region with the assistance of North Korean personnel, Russia has been able to allocate more forces to engagements in disputed territories in the Donbas. Russian forces have since mid-April been making continuous advances, with a recent landmark in its successes being the capture one of the largest lithium deposits in Europe near the village of Shevchenko. Heavy losses among Ukraine’s elite units in Kursk, and the extreme depletion of inventories of much of its most capable equipment from Patriot and S-300 air defence systems to M1A1 Abrams, Leopard 2A6 and T-80 tanks, have been among the factors raising questions regarding the country’s ability to sustain its war effort.
The performance of the TOS-1A has gained significant attention due to its combat performance in the Ukrainian theatre, with the system being well optimised for neutralising forces fortified in settlements, as seen on the recent footage, as well as in bunkers, caves or trenches. The system’s thermobaric ammunition works by dispersing a gaseous cloud of chemicals into the air, which are subsequently detonated by a vacuum explosive, which releasees a high pressure shock wave that sucks air out of confined areas with tremendous force, rupturing the lungs of all present in the vicinity. The system first demonstrated its capabilities during counterinsurgency operations against a number of Turkish-sponsored terror groups in Syria and Iraq such as the Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State in the mid-2010s, but has been employed on a far larger scale in Ukraine. Its advanced performance has led Russian defence conglomerate Rostec to announce the development of a more capable successor in April 2024 under the designation TOS-3.
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