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"&lt;p&gt;Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both said that Russian forces appeared to have used widely banned cluster munitions, with Amnesty accusing them of attacking a preschool in northeastern Ukraine while civilians took shelter inside.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, told reporters after meeting with members of the US Congress that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon, known as a vacuum bomb, in its invasion of her country.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;&quot;They used the vacuum bomb today,&quot; Markarova said after a meeting with lawmakers. &quot;...The devastation that Russia is trying to inflict on Ukraine is large.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;A vacuum bomb, or thermobaric weapon, sucks in oxygen from the surrounding air to generate a high-temperature explosion, typically producing a blast wave of a significantly longer duration than that of a conventional explosive and is capable of vaporising human bodies.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;There has been no official confirmation that thermobaric weapons have been used in the conflict in Ukraine. CNN reported that one of its teams had spotted a Russian thermobaric multiple rocket launcher near the Ukrainian border early on Saturday afternoon.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said she had seen reports but did not have confirmation that Russia had used such weapons. &quot;If that were true, it would potentially be a war crime,&quot; she told a press briefing, noting that there are international organizations that would assess that and President Joe Biden's administration &quot;would look to be a part of that conversation.&quot;&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;The Russian embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;Markarova said Ukraine was working actively with the Biden administration and Congress to obtain more weapons and tougher sanctions.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;&quot;They should pay, they should pay a heavy price,&quot; she told reporters after leaving the meeting.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;One lawmaker who attended the meeting, Democratic Representative Brad Sherman, said the Ukrainians had asked for a US-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine but that he felt that was too dangerous because it could provoke conflict with Russia.&lt;/p&gt;.&lt;p&gt;Amnesty International said international humanitarian law prohibits the use of inherently indiscriminate weapons such as cluster munitions. Launching indiscriminate attacks that kill or injure civilians constitutes a war crime.&lt;/p&gt;"
<https://bdnews24.com/world/2022/03/01/ukraine-envoy-to-us-says-russia-used-a-vacuum-bomb-in-its-invasion>