After Russia claimed on March 16 that it killed up to 300 Ukrainian soldiers using a so-called "vacuum bomb," a spokesperson for the military intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) told CNN that the claims were "absolute nonsense and propaganda."
The claim was made by the deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on battlefield updates, according to CNN. The location of the claimed strike was not disclosed.
The Kyiv Independent is not able to verify the incident.
Vacuum bombs, also known as thermobaric weapons, are filled with fuel and chemicals. They are significantly more destructive than traditional explosives of similar weight.
The HUR spokesperson, Andrii Yusov, also dismissed Russian claims that it recently killed 1,500 Ukrainian troops in Kursk and Belgorod regions in Russia.
On the morning of March 12, several anti-Kremlin armed groups, including the Freedom of Russia Legion, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and the Siberian Battalion, crossed the border into Russia from Ukraine to conduct combat operations.
According to the spokesperson of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Andrii Yusov, the units are comprised of Russian citizens acting as part of Ukraine’s "security and defense forces."
Read also: Explainer: What we do and don’t know about the number of Ukrainian troops killed