Thermobaric weapons have long been part of the Soviet and Russian arsenals. In Russian military classification, they include ODAB fuel-air explosive aerial bombs. Ammunition used by heavy flamethrower systems such as the widely known TOS Solntsepyok operates on the same principle.

Fresh attention turned to this class of weapons after a strike on an ammunition arsenal in Kiev. The Russian Defense Ministry said M-900 thermobaric aerial bombs, anti-tank mines and ammunition for heavy Baba Yaga-type drones were destroyed at the site.

The M-900 drew particular interest. Only a limited number of countries possess volumetric-explosion munitions, raising questions about where the bomb came from and what Kiev may have intended to use it for.

Military expert Yuri Knutov told aif.ru that the M-900 could be a Ukrainian development. He noted that open sources had previously carried information about attempts to modify similar munitions. The first examples were makeshift, but he believes production may later have been organized on a larger scale.

Knutov suggested that Soviet ODAB aerial bombs could have served as the basis for the weapon. He also linked the M-900 designation to its possible weight of around 900 kilograms.

The expert described such a bomb as an extremely powerful weapon, particularly dangerous to personnel. Its effect is based on dispersing an aerosol mixture that can penetrate shelters, including dugouts, hardened firing positions and concrete bunkers, before detonating in a volumetric explosion.

The method of deploying the M-900 remains an open question if it is indeed a free-fall aerial bomb. Knutov pointed out that the Ukrainian military does not have its own universal planning and correction modules that would allow such bombs to be released from a distance.

He suggested one possible scenario in which the bombs could have been intended for use as concealed explosive devices in cities taken by Russia. According to this version, the munitions could be planted inside buildings before a retreat and later detonated remotely while people were inside.

Knutov said industrial premises, factories, mines or administrative buildings could theoretically have been rigged in this way.

He characterized such use of the munitions as terrorism. As examples of what he described as terrorist actions by Kiev, Knutov cited the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, as well as killings and assassination attempts targeting government officials and military personnel.